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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


THE 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY 


PERSONAL     EXPERIKNCES     AND 
RECOLLECTIONS 


JOHN  A.  CARGILE 


"  So  teach  us  to  number  our  days,  that  we  may  apply  our 
hearts  unto  wisdom." — PsA.  90  :   12 


BOSTON 
ADVENT  CHRISTIAN  PUBLICATION  SOCIETY 

144    HANOVER    STREET 
I89I 


Copyright,  1S91, 

BY 

JOHN  A.  CARGILE. 


^11  AZ 


DEDICATION. 


ea  TO 


iHg  Bclobrti  Christian  f$lot!)er, 

5*  THROUGH    WHOSE     INFLUENCE    AND     PRAYERS     I     AM     SAVED    BY 

CVJ  THE   GRACE   OF   GOD;     AND   TO 


Us  JTaitbful  SEifc, 


WHO,    FOR   A    QUARTER   OF    A   CENTURY,    HAS    STOOD    BY    MY   SIDE 
THROUGH    ALL    THE     VICISSITUDES     OF    LIFE,    THESE 


O  PAGES   ARE   AFFECTIONATELY    DEDICATED    BY 

o 

ax 

Mi 


THE   AUTHOR. 


447249 


PREFACE. 


"Write  your  life"  has  been  said  to  me  many 
times  by  those  of  like  precious  faith.  Purchasers 
of  True  Theology  have  often  said,  "This  is  a  good 
book,  but  I  would  much  rather  have  the  history 
of  your  life  and  work."  Finally,  while  on  the 
beautiful  new  camp-ground  at  Mechanic's  Falls, 
in  Maine,  last  summer,  I  consented. 

It  has  been  no  small  task  to  go  back  over  eigh- 
teen years  of  Missionary  work  and  know  just  what 
to  put  in  and  what  to  leave  out.  While  writing 
the  book  I  have  been  in  Boston,  where  by  the 
kindness  of  Bro.  Chas.  H,  Woodman,  the  Busi- 
ness Manager  of  the  Advent  Christian  Publication 
Society,  I  have  had  access  to  the  files  of  the  Crisis 
published  since  1872,  to  look  over  my  reports  and 
thereby    refresh    my    memory.     I   also  gratefully 


PREFACE.  V 

acknowledge  the  valuable  assistance  kindly  ren- 
dered me  by  Sr.  Kilborn,  of  Bridgton,  Me.  Bro. 
and  Sr,  Seymour  Sylvernale,  Bro.  and  Sr.  N.  S. 
Wilson,  Sr.  McLeod,  all  of  Boston,  Mass.,  and 
Sr.  Doughty  of  Providence,  R.  I.  Their  help  has 
been  valuable  from  the  fact  that  I  have  been  in 
meetings  every  Sunday  and  almost  every  night 
during  the  time.  When  I  had  come  through 
about  half  of  the  years  of  my  labor  I  found  that 
the  space  intended  for  the  book  was  about  used 
up.  So  the  last  ten  years  of  the  work  is  necessa- 
rily very  much  condensed.  I  have  tried  to  mix 
in,  first  a  story,  then  "Notes  by  the  way,"  taken 
from  the  Crisis,  in  order  if  possible  to  avoid  the 
monotonous  style  of  writing  so  common  in  such 
works. 

For  reasons  which  the  reader  will  understand,  I 
have  substituted  other  than  the  correct  names  for 
those  who  have  opposed  me.  But  the  names  of 
my  friends  are  given  correctly.  This  has  been 
done,  because  I  could  not  leave  those  things  out 
and  do  justice  to  my  readers,  and  because  I 
respect  and  love  all  those  who  have  tried  in  any 
way  to  injure  me,  or  weaken   my  influence  to  do 


VI  PREFACE. 

good,  and  because  I  have  a  kindly  feeling  for  their 
relatives.  And  now  the  book  is  sent  forth,  incom- 
plete and  imperfect  as  it  is,  with  the  earnest  prayer 
that  it  may  prove  a  blessing  to  thousands,  by  in- 
spiring them  to  trust  fully  in  the  Lord,  and  work 
in  his  cause.  JOHN  A.  Cargile. 

South  Boston,  Mass.,  Feb.  2j,  i8gi . 


INTRODUCTION. 


It  is  as  customary  to  write  a  Preface  and  an  Introduction  to 
a  new  book  as  it  is  to  build  steps  to  a  new  house.  As  steps 
lead  one  into  the  house,  so  these  lead  the  reader  into  the 
book  proper.  The  writer  feels  his  own  want  of  experience 
on  this  line  ;  but,  by  a  special  request  of  the  Author,  pro- 
poses to  say  a  few  things  by  way  of  introduction  to  Eld. 
John  A.  Cargile's  Autobiography.  This  I  do  with  great 
pleasure,  inasmuch  as  I  have  known  him  since  May,  1867, 
and  since  November,  1871,  have  been  intimately  associated 
with  him  in  ministerial  labors  in  the  cause  of  present  truth. 

While  I  was  all  aglow  with  "that  blessed  hope  of  the 
glorious  appearing,"  etc.,  Bro.  Cargile  was  absorbed  in  the 
study  of  man's  nature.  Thus  we  stood  in  our  early 
acquaintance.  We  have  been  co-workers  together  for  many 
years,  often  both  preaching  at  the  same  meeting;  while  he 
discussed  the  nature  of  man,  showing  the  need  of  a  Lifegiver, 
the  writer  presented  the  promises  of  the  Saviour's  coming 
SOON,  to  give  the  life  eternal,  and  the  signs  of  the  times 
showing  its  nearness.  We  were  thus  an  advantage  to  each 
other,  until  at  length  we  were  both  able  to  discuss  these  and 
other  kindred  topics. 

Bro.  Cargile  belonged  to  the  Primitive  Baptist  Church  at 
that  time,  while  the  writer  was  a  Missionary  Baptist..     Some 


Vlll  INTRODUCTION. 

of  our  people  respectively  heard  us  gladly;  outsiders  rushed 
into  our  meetings.  Many  were  blessed  with  the  better 
hope.  We  had  many  seasons  of  rejoicing  together.  The 
preachers  of  various  denominations  came  out  to  hear  us. 
Some  seemed  edified  and  comforted ;  others  mocked,  and 
called  it  the  "Smith  &  Cargile  doctrine,"  byway  of  deri- 
sion. As  a  sample  of  such,  I  copy  the  following  from  my 
own  pen  about  that  time: 

A  few  days  ago  I  visited  the  Dade  coal  mines,  with  tracts 
for  distribution  among  the  miners.  While  waiting  at  the 
entrance  of  the  mines  for  the  miners  to  come  out  to  their 
noon  meals,  a  Methodist  minister  rode  up  to  me,  and  after  a 
pleasant  salutation  I  offered  him  a  tract.  Before  touching  it, 
he  asked,  "What  is  it?"  I  replied,  "  On  the  coming  of  the 
Lord."  He  drew  back  his  hand,  and  in  a  very  emphatic 
manner  said,  "  I  don't  want  it."  "Why.?  Have  you  no  in- 
terest in  the  second  coming  of  the  Lord? "  "  No.  not  such  as 
you  and  Cargile  preach.  I  have  in  my  house  a  great  many 
of  your  tracts  that  you  have  left.  I  never  read  them.  I 
think  it  is  the  most  absurd  thing  I  ever  knew." 

"  But,"  said  I  (ironically),  "you  are  very  likely  to  know  our 
view^,  if  you  never  read  our  works  nor  heard  us  preach." 

"I  have  in  my  pocket  Cargile's  review  of  Dr.  Newton: 
have  been  reading  it.     He  does  not  do  Newton  justice." 

"  Did  you  hear  Dr.  Newton's  discoursesi*"  "  No." 
"  Well,  I  did,  and  I  think  Dr.  Newton  is  pretty  fairly  repre- 
sented in  the  review."  "  I  do  think  it  is  the  most  absurd 
thing  I  ever  heard  of,  that  way  down  here,  late  in  the  nine- 
teenth century,  it  should  be  reserved  for  a  Mr.  Sheldon, 
from  way  up  North,  to  come  down  here  and  preach  this 
strange  doctrine,  overlooked  by  the  learned  and  the  good  of 
all  the  past  ages;  and  you,  and  Cargile  must  take  it  up  and 
preach  it." 

"The  introduction  to  Eld.  Cargile's  review  of  Dr.  Newton 
(if  you  have  read  it)  shows  that  I  was  preaching  it  in  this 
country  years  before  Eld.  Sheldon  visited  this  section.  And 
I  will  add  that  I  was  proclaiming  the  second  coming  of  the 
Lord  near  at  hand  before  I  ever  heard  of  Sheldon,  Hastings, 
Davis,  or  even  the  denomination  of  Christians  to  which  they 
belonged." 


INTRODUCTION.  ix 

"Why,  if  your  doctrine  be  true,  has  it  not  been  found  out 
sooner?" 

Pointing  to  the  vein  of  coal  recently  opened,  I  asked,  "  Why 
was  it  reserved  for  the  latter  part  of  the  nineteenth  century 
to  discover  this  rich  mine  of  wealth,  and  develop  it?"  He 
replied,  "Because  no  one  was  looking  for  it."  "'Yes,"  said 
I;  "and  for  the  same  reason  much  of  the  rich  mine  of  God's 
truth  has  been  concealed  under  the  rubbish  of  error.'"  As 
if  he  thought  that  I  meant  Methodism,  he  said,  "If  the  old 
Methodist  ship  don't  land  me  safe  in  heaven,  I  shall  never 
reach  that  blessed  shore."  I  told  him  it  was  a  matter  of 
choice  as  to  what  ship  a  man  embarked  on.  but  as  to  myself, 
I  preferred  to  embark  on  the  old  ship  of  Zion.  Her  Captain 
had  steered  her  safely  through  the  tempests  of  more  than 
eighteen  centuries,  and  now  "she  is  making  for  the  harbor." 

At  this  point  he  became  more  excited,  and  I  proposed  that 
unless  we  could  talk  for  edification  we  had  better  drop  the 
subject.  He  insisted  that  he  was  not  excited  and  wanted  to 
talk  more ;  but  someone  kindly  interposed  and  called  him 
off.  I  really  pitied  the  man.  The  time  had  been  -when  I 
tnig-ht  have  behaved  no  better  under  similar  circumstances. 
I  thank  God  now  for  another  spirit,  the  spirit  of  love  and 
forbearance. 

Then  followed  the  coldness  of  our  own  church  members 
toward  us.  Some  of  them  became  tongue-tied,  and  could 
no  longer  say  Bro.  S.,  or  Bro.  C.;  but  it  was  '•'■  Hoxvdy  do, 
sir?"  The  next  step  was  "Mr.  S."  or  "Mr.  C.,"  and  that 
with  a  peculiar  emphasis,  as  if  to  show  us  their  contempt. 
Church  influences  were  brought  to  bear  against  us ;  influ- 
ences, too,  that  were  weighty.  Oh  !  how  this  hurt !  The 
writer  had  nearly  forty  years  of  most  pleasant  association 
with  his  brethren,  and  nearly  forty  years  in  the  ministry. 
He  was  told  that  he  would  still  be  fellowshipped  if  he  would 
only  promise  his  church  not  to  preach  any  more  on  the  com- 
ing of  the  Lord.  Bro.  C.  had  admonitions  and  threats. 
What  should  we  do .''  Go  back  .''  Nay  !  we  had  no  thought 
of  this.  What  then  ?  Stand  alone  against  the  churches  and 
the  world  ?  No  ;  not  alone,  either,  for  there  were  two  of  us, 
and  then  there  was  the  promise  of  the  dear  Master  to  be  with 


X  INTRODUCTION. 

us  alway,  even  unto  the  end.  Ah  !  that  is  enough,  with  the 
inspiring  hope  of  hearing  him  say,  "Well  done,  thou  good 
and  faithful  servant."  This  will  overbalance  all  the  contempt 
and  losses.  Hence,  we  decided,  and  have  never  yet  receded, 
nor  regretted  the  decision.  While  Eld.  A.  A.  Phelps  was 
with  the  Adventists  he  wrote: 

The  labors  of  J.  J.  Smith  and  J.  A.  Cargile,  who  reside  in 
Alabama,  have  been  crowned  with  encouraging  success. 
New  fields  are  opening  before  them,  and  like  true  men  of 
God,  they  are  following  the  cloudy,  fiery  pillar  of  their  im- 
mortal Leader.  They  have  toiled  hard,  and  suffered  many 
privations,  in  their  efforts  to  preach  a  whole  gospel.  They 
are  now  being  re-inforced  by  several  young  ministers  who 
are  helping  to  shout  the  battle  on.  May  they  all  be  divinely 
anointed  for  their  mission,  and  bear  the  tidings  of  salvation 
to  many  who  grope  in  darkness  and  sin  ! 

This  book  gives,  in  detail,  many  thrilling  incidents  in  the 
life  of  its  author  that  can  be  verified  by  the  writer  as  well  as 
by  a  number  of  other  witnesses  now  living  all  through  the 
South  and  West.  Thanks  to  the  dear  Lord,  we  had  found 
the  '-open  door  that  no  man  can  shut"  by  mocks,  scoffs, 
sneers,  jeers  or  threats.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  Lord 
should  pass  by  men  of  superior  intelligence  and  learning  in 
the  country  around  us,  and  choose  for  this  great  work  two 
poor  men  with  hardly  a  fair  English  education,  they  having 
studied  Rhetoric,  Logic,  and  English  Gramnier  only  to  a 
limited  extent ;  and  both  being  in  poor  health,  Bro.  Cargile 
finding  it  difficult  to  speak  in  public  owing  to  the  weakness 
of  his  lungs.  But  as  George  Trask  once  said,  when  told  of 
his  success  as  a  temperance  lecturer,  "It  only  proves  that 
God  can  operate  very  successfully  upon  a  small  capital." 
Or,  as  Paul  puts  it,  "God  hath  chosen  the  weak  things  of 
this  world  to  confound  the  mighty." 

While  our  enemies  have  done  much  to  stop  the  onward 
progress  of  the  "True  Theology,"  they  have  advertised  us 


INTRODUCTION.  xi 

and  awakened  a  curiosity  to  know  what  this  nevj  doctrine 
is.  While  God  has  stirred  up  many  others  to  proclaim  the 
glorious  message,  "the  fields  are  yet  white  for  the  harvest 
and  the  laborers  are  few."  We  hope  and  pray  that  many 
others,  by  reading  this  book,  will  be  moved  to  enter  this 
great  Southern  field,  that  when  the  Master  comes  to  make 
up  his  jewels  we  may  be  able  to  say,  in  loud  acclaim,  "Lo 
this  is  our  God ;  we  have  waited  for  him  and  he  will  save  us. 
We  will  be  glad  and  rejoice  in  his  salvation."     Amen  ! 

J.  JosiAH  Smith. 

Santos,  Pope  Co.,  Ark.,  Feb.  20, 1891. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

PAGE 

Birth,  Childhood  and  Ancestry ii 

CHAPTER    II. 

Early  Impressions — Conviction  and  Conversion — Stag- 
gering at  Duty — A  Lesson  for  Others 22 

CHAPTER    III. 
Called  to  Preach  the  Gospel — Marriage,  etc 36 

CHAPTER    IV. 
First  Experience  in  the  Ministry 54 

CHAPTER    V. 

Further  Experiences —Church  Trials — Joining  the  Ad- 
ventists — Exclusion  from  the  Baptist  Church    ...     76 

CHAPTER   VI. 

Ministers  Combine  to  Ruin  Cargile  and  Stop  his  Work 
in  Arkansas        130 

CHAPTER   VII. 
The  Clerical  Scandal  — Continued 163 


CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER    VIII. 

PAGE 

The  Bear  Story  and  the  Pickpockets 194 

CHAPTER    IX. 

Experiences  in  1873  and  1874 213 

CHAPTER    X. 

Experiences  in  1875  and  1876 251 

CHAPTER    XI. 

The  North  Carolina  Dreamer  and  his  Dream     .     .     .     .314 

CHAPTER    XII. 

Experiences  in  1 877-1 879 333 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

The  Work  Started  in  Georgia 359 

CHAPTER   XIV. 
Major-General  Mack  and  Corporal  Cargile 366 

CHAPTER   XV. 
Special  Providences 427 

CHAPTER   XVI. 

Further  Experiences  Copied  from  Various  Reports  in 
The  World's  Crisis,  iSSo,  iSSs -441 

CHAPTER   XVII. 

Meetings  in  Texas — A  Tussle  with  the  Devil   ....  450 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 

Miscellaneous  Items  Overlooked  or  Forgotten  in  Pre- 
paring the  Preceding  Chapters,  etc 4*^ 


CHAPTER   I. 

BIRTH,    CHILDHOOD   AND   ANCESTRY. 

It  was  on  Honey  Creek,  eight  miles  from  the 
beautiful  village  of  Clinton,  in  what  was  then 
Reeves,  but  is  now  Henry  County,  in  the  State 
of  Missouri,  that  I  first  saw  the  light  of  this  world. 
The  record  in  the  old  family  Bible  tells  me  that  it 
was  on  the  26th  day  of  October,  1843.  My  par- 
ents told  me  it  was  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
and  that  the  beautiful  snow  lay  about  ten  inches 
deep  on  the  then  wild  prairies  of  that  Western 
country. 

My  father,  James  Cargile,  was  of  the  third  gen- 
eration from  the  three  Scotch-Irish  brothers  of 
our  name,  who  came  to  this  country  from  the 
north  of  Ireland.  My  mother's  name  was  Eliza- 
beth Huddleston.  Her  mother  was  Mahala  Hough. 
As  the  names  indicate,  she  is  from  the  old  stock  of 
Holland  Dutch.  My  grandfather,  Lewis  Cargile, 
was  born  near  Wilkesborough,  Wilkes  County,  N.  C. 

My  father  and  mother  emigrated  to  the  West  in 


12   AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  A.  CARGILE. 

1838,  in  search  of  "a  better  country,"  making  the 
journey  with  an  ox  team  in  about  three  months. 
Like  many  others  who  run  after  the  baubles  of 
this  world,  they  found  more  enjoyment  in  the  an- 
ticipation than  in  the  possession  of  that  which 
they  sought.  The  country  was  new,  and  sparsely 
settled  by  white  people.  No  railroads  to  carry 
food  or  building  material  to  them.  This,  of  course, 
made  it  hard  for  the  first  settlers.  The  inhabitants 
endured  much  privation  and  suffering  in  providing 
shelter  and  obtaining  sustenance. 

When  I  was  born  they  named  me  John  Abner. 
I  learn  that  John  signifies  the  "gracious  gift  of 
God,"  and  that  Abner  means  the  "  father  of  light"  ; 
so  I  had  a  good  name.  Well,  they  tell  me  I  was 
an  average  boy  at  my  birth,  but  took  the  chills 
and  fever  when  I  was  only  two  months  old.  That 
malady  was  prevalent  in  that  new  country.  I  next 
took  a  parasitic  disease  then  common  in  the  West, 
the  scars  of  which  I  shall  carry  to  my  grave,  un- 
less the  Lord  comes  soon  and  gives  me  a  new 
body. 

My  mother  lost  the  entire  use  of  her  feet  and 
hands,  and  for  eighteen  months  was  not  able  to 
dress  and  feed  herself,  or  nurse  me.  I  was  cared 
for  by  others  as  they  dropped  in  occasionally  to 
see  us.  Father  labored  hard  to  provide  a  scanty 
living  for  us  by  breaking   that  wild  prairie  land 


BIRTH,    CHILDHOOD   AND    ANCESTRY.  1 3 

with  eight  yoke  of  cattle  to  a  plow,  for  so  much 
per  acre. 

I  did  not  gain  much  in  stature  as  I  grew  older; 
but  when  I  was  two  years  old  I  could  talk  fluently, 
to  the  astonishment  of  everybody  who  did  not 
know  my  age,  for  I  was  very  small  and  feeble,  and 
could  not  walk  a  step.  An  old  German  neighbor 
was  wont  to  dandle  me  on  his  knee  and  say, 
"Never  mind,  little  Johnnie,  you  vill  be  a  mon 
somedays.  A  mon  ish  a  mon,  if  he  ish  no  pigger 
as  my  thumb." 

Father  said  it  took  him  seven  years  to  save  up 
enough  money  to  return  to  Alabama,  and  when  I 
was  two  years  old,  in  1845,  my  parents  moved  back 
to  the  same  neighborhood  they  had  left  in  1838. 
They  had  two  children,  a  son  and  daughter,  when 
they  went  West,  but  the  enemy  claimed  brother 
William,  and  he  was  left  sleeping  on  the  banks  of 
Grand  River.  Brother  Lewis,  three  years  older 
than  myself,  was  also  born  in  Missouri. 

About  the  time  I  was  born,  Lewis  was  stricken 
with  slow  fever,  which  brought  him  so  low  for 
over  three  months  that  it  was  thought  he  could 
not  possibly  survive.  He,  however,  recovered ; 
but  the  fever  had  impaired  the  organs  of  hearing 
and  he  became  deaf,  and  is  to-day  a  deaf-mute 
fifty  years  old. 

My  father  had    moved  to  Longacre's  Mill,  on 


14       AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

Crow  Creek,  on  account  of  the  drouth,  in  1849, 
and  the  consequent  failure  of  crops  and  scarcity 
of  bread  stuff.  He  said,  if  anybody  in  the  coun- 
try made  corn,  the  miller  was  sure  of  his  toll,  so 
he  engaged  to  run  the  mill. 

Here  it  was  that  my  sister  Mahala,  a  beautiful 
girl  of  sixteen  summers,  was  united  to  a  man  of 
intemperate  habits.  He,  as  many  others  have 
done  before,  promised  my  father  that  if  he  and 
mother  would  consent  to  the  marriage,  he  would 
"never  drink  another  drop,"  but  on  the  night  of 
their  wedding  he  was  drunk. 

Soon  after  the  wedding  I  saw  something  cov- 
ered in  leaves  under  a  large  stone  on  the  moun- 
tain side,  above  the  mill.  I  was  playing  among 
the  rocks  and  supposed  it  to  be  a  terrapin,  or  tor- 
toise, as  they  are  sometimes  called.  I  threw  a 
stone  at  it,  and  smashed  a  bottle  of  old  rye  whis- 
key which  my  new  brother-in-law  had  concealed 
there.  He  was  terribly  enraged,  both  at  the  loss 
of  the  rum  and  on  being  found  out.  I  was  fright- 
ened, and  afraid  to  see  him  that  night,  and  trem- 
bled next  morning  when  I  saw  him  ;  but  he  let  me 
pass  with  a  gruff  threatening  which  made  my  bones 
quiver. 

In  those  days  on  Crow  Creek  such  a  thing  as  a 
Sunday  School  was  unknown.  There  were  only 
a  few  religious  people,  and,  thank  the  dear  Lord, 


BIRTH,    CHILDHOOD    AND    ANCESTRY.  I  5 

my  parents  were  among  that  few.  I  was  permit- 
ted to  spend  these  years  hunting  rabbits  and  fish- 
nig,  except  on  Sundays,  when  I  was  taught  to  sta\' 
at  home  and  be  quiet. 

The  fever  and  ague  contracted  in  Missouri  still 
hung  on  to  me,  and  I  was  weakly.  My  mother 
told  me  not  to  go  into  the  water,  because  of  my 
poor  health.  Many  times  I  have  sat  on  the  shore 
looking  at  my  playmates  enjoying  themselves  in 
the  water.  They  sometimes  laughed,  and  called 
me  cowardly ;  but  I  loved  my  dear  mother,  and 
would  obey  her  at  the  expense  of  being  called  a 
coward  by  other  boys  w4io  would  go  bathing  and 
then  deny  it  to  tJicir  mothers.  When  I  became 
older  I  saw  that  it  was  simply  the  difference,  in 
effect,  between  love  and  fear  in  parental  govern- 
ment. 

I  well  remember  the  first  meeting  I  ever  at- 
tended. It  was  in  a  little  log  hut  known  as  the 
"Peacock  meeting-house,"  because  a  very  pious 
man  by  that  name  lived  near  by.  The  preacher 
was  quite  a  small  man,  known  as  "Little  Jack 
Williams."  I  think  he  was  about  sixty  years  old. 
The  pulpit  was  a  high  concern,  with  all  sides 
planked  up,  only  leaving  enough  space  at  one  cor- 
ner to  admit  the  minister.  When  "Little  Jack" 
stood  in  it  I  could  only  see  his  head  and  the  upper 
part  of  his  breast. 


1 6       AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

He  was  a  blessed  good  Baptist ;  honest  to  the 
core ;  with  very  limited  education,  but  almost  a 
graduate  in  old-fashioned  Holy  Ghost  religion. 
He  pulled  ofif  his  homespun  jeans  coat,  and  put  it 
across  the  pulpit  front,  and  with  shirt  bosom, 
collar,  and  wristbands  all  unbuttoned,  he  sweat 
terribly  in  delivering  his  message.  He  forced  his 
hearers  to  believe  he  wanted  them  to  escape  the 
awful  doom  of  the  wicked.  His  old-fashioned 
bandanna  was  wet  with  perspiration  long  before  he 
had  done. 

I  looked  on  with  amazement.  My  mother  had 
told  me  that  I  must  sit  by  her,  and  not  go  out  dur- 
ing the  service  ;  that  I  must  get  on  my  knees  when 
other  folks  knelt ;  and  I  tried  to  be  faithful  to  her 
instructions. 

On  returning  home  my  sister  asked  me  how  I 
liked  the  meeting.  I  told  her  "that  the  little  old 
man  got  up  in  a  cupboard  and  preached."  I 
remember  how  she  laughed.  Then  she  told  me 
that  that  was  the  stand  made  on  purpose  for  the 
preacher  to  speak  in. 

When  I  was  thirteen  years  old  they  sent  me  to 
board  with  my  sister  and  go  to  school.  The  school- 
house  was  built  of  round  logs,  and  stood  in  Dry 
Cove,  on  Mr.  Jacoway's  land,  I  had  never  seen  a 
schoolhouse  before.  Mr.  John  K.  Farris  was  the 
teacher.      He  is  now  Dr.  Farris,  of  Tennessee. 


BIRTH,    CHILDHOOD    AND   ANCESTRY,  1/ 

I  entered  school  on  a  Monday  morning,  feeling 
as  solemn  as  death  itself.  The  teacher  had  a  peach- 
tree  scion  three  or  four  feet  long.  He  thrashed  a 
boy  morning  and  afternoon,  on  Monday  and  Tues- 
day. Wednesday  morning  he  "warmed"  another, 
and  immediately  after  dinner  another. 

I  began  to  think.  By  and  by  it  occurred  to  me 
that  all  the  boys  in  school  would  have  to  take  the 
rod  turn  about,  and  that  it  might  come  my  turn 
next.  I  was  terribly  troubled  over  it.  When  re- 
cess came  that  afternoon  I  saw  a  spelling-book 
stuck  behind  the  door-facing,  and  I  hit  it  with  my 
book,  and  then,  quick  as  thought,  mine  went  under 
my  coat  bosom. 

I  passed  through  the  playground.  The  boys 
called  to  me  to  take  part  in  their  games,  which  I 
had  not  yet  done,  for  I  was  a  bashful  boy.  I  said, 
"No,  I  am  going  to  run  out  to  sister's  and  get  me 
a  piece  of  fatty  bread,  for  I  am  hungry."  I  had 
made  up  my  mind  that  I  had  had  enough  of  school, 
and  would  bid  them  an  unexpected  good-bye  before 
it  came  my  time  to  stand  and  take  the  lash.  Sister 
tried  to  persuade  me  to  return  to  school,  but  in 
vain.     I  was  done  with  school  in  my  own  mind. 

When  school  was  out  I  saw  the  teacher  and  stu- 
dents coming.  The  house  where  my  sister  lived 
was  an  old  log  pen,  with  only  one  room,  standing- 
near  the  mountain,  thickly  set  with  cedars.     It  had 


1 8        AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

only  one  door  that  they  used,  the  one  fronting  the 
road.  The  back-door  had  no  shutter,  so  they  had 
taken  some  old  oak  boards,  split  out  with  a  froe, 
and  nailed  them  across  the  door  on  the  outside  of 
the  wall. 

I  crawled  under  the  bed  to  hide.  Mr.  Farris 
called  at  the  gate  and  inquired,  "Where  is  John- 
nie?" Sister  told  him  I  was  in  the  house.  He 
called  me,  but  I  did  not  answer.  Setting  his  water- 
keg  down  by  the  fence,  he  said  to  the  students, 
"Go  ahead,  children;  I  will  come  on."  I  was  look- 
ing out  through  a  crack  from  under  the  bed. 

When  I  saw  him  coming  through  the  yard  gate 
I  became  terribly  frightened.  I  could  not  bear  the 
idea  of  facing  him  after  running  away  from  school. 
He  was  at  the  only  open  door,  and  what  should 
I  do?  Coming  from  under  that  bed  in  "double 
quick,"  I  bolted  for  that  back-door  with  all  the 
power  that  was  in  me.  Raising  my  arms  so  that 
my  elbows  came  in  front  of  my  face,  I  put  myself 
against  those  boards  from  top  to  bottom.  I  can 
see  the  pile  now,  in  my  mind,  and  hear  the  awful 
clatter  when  those  boards  left  the  wall  and  went 
out  into  the  back  yard,  and  I  on  top  of  the  pile. 
I  say,  I  can  see  it  and  hear  it,  but  language  fails  to 
describe  the  sight  or  the  noise.  I  did  not  rest  long 
on  the  boards,  but  sprang  to  my  feet  and  in  a  very 
few  jumps  was  out  of  sight  in  the  thick  cedars. 


BIRTH,    CHILDHOOD    AND    ANCESTRY.  1 9 

Mr.  Farris  went  on  home  ;  but  I  imagined,  oi 
course,  that  he  was  watching  in  ambush  for  me. 
It  was  long  after  dark  before  I  could  speak  loud 
enough  to  answer  the  calls  of  my  uneasy  sister, 
who  assured  me  that  Mr.  Farris  had  gone  home, 
and  that  I  must  come  in  and  go  to  bed,  which 
I  did. 

I  was  afraid  to  sleep  that  night,  lest  he  should 
come  in  and  capture  me.  The  sound  of  footsteps 
would  have  sent  me  through  that  back-door  and 
into  that  cedar  thicket  again.  Next  morning  I 
went  into  the  cedars  and  watched  him  pass  on  to 
school,  then,  against  the  wish  and  importunity  oi 
my  sister,  I  went  home  on  foot,  alone. 

My  parents  were  surprised  to  see  me.  Mother 
had  nothing  to  say  about  it.  Father  said  but  little. 
They  did  not  scold  me.  Father  said,  after  hearing 
my  story,  which  I  made  as  favorable  as  possible : 
"Nevermind  it,  my  son ;  it  is  all  right.  I  need 
you  badly ;  you  have  come  in  good  time  to  Jidp 
me  out  of  the  grass  and  weeds,  my  potato  patch 
needs  you,  and  in  the  morning  I  will  give  you  a 
good  hoe  and  let  you  go  into  it."  I  thought  "  any- 
thing but  school  for  me." 

Father  had  quite  a  large  crop  of  sweet  potatoes 
that  year,  and  on  my  "well  days"  (that  is,  every 
other  day,  when  I  did  not  chill,)  he  put  me  in  that 
potato  patch.     He  plowed  near  by  and  watched 


20   AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  A.  CARGILE. 

me  closely.  If  I  raised  up  just  long  enough  to 
look  at  a  bird  flying  across  the  field,  he  would  yell 
out,  in  a  very  kind  voice,  "  Hurrah  !  Johnnie,  those 
weeds  are  growing."  His  words  were  so  kind  that 
they  cut  to  the  heart.  I  went  humped  over  those 
potato  rows  every  other  day  for  three  weeks,  and 
then  every  alternate  day,  almost,  I  chilled  and  had 
a  terrible  fever. 

Finally,  I  counted  up  the  boys  in  school,  and 
made  up  my  mind  that  my  time  for  the  lash  could 
only  come  about  once  in  twejity  days,  and  I  thought 
I  would  rather  take  that  than  to  die  in  that  potato 
patch.  I  had  considerable  spitting  of  blood,  but 
kept  that  to  myself  At  last,  on  a  Sunday  after- 
noon, I  told  father  I  had  a  notion  to  return  to 
school  again.  He  said  :  "  Oh,  no,  I  can't  get  along 
without  j<?;/  in  that  potato  patch." 

I  could  not  bear  the  idea  of  bending  over  those 
potato  vines  and  picknig  grass,  and  spitting  blood, 
any  longer.  So  I  became  very  anxious,  and  begged 
him  to  let  me  go.  At  length  he  said,  "I  will  let 
you  go  back  to  school  if  you  will  stay.  And  if 
you  run  away  again  I  will  give  you  a  whipping  that 
you  will  remember."  With  this  understanding  I 
returned. 

When  I  entered  school  again  on  the  next  morn- 
ing the  teacher  told  me  if  I  should  leave  again  he 
would  whip  me.      So  you  see  there  were  two  flog- 


BIRTH,    CHILDHOOD   AND    ANCESTRY.  21 

gings  laid  up  for  me  if  I  left.  But  I  soon  learned 
the  ways  of  school,  and  liked  it  very  much. 

In  three  months  I  advanced  from  the  alphabet 
to  the  middle  of  the  spelling-book.  I  became  a 
favorite  with  my  teacher,  and  loved  him  dearly  and 
wept  when  I  parted  from  him  at  the  close  of  the 
school.  I  had  but  little  time  to  attend  school. 
My  father  being  poor,  I  had  to  work  on  the  farm. 
But  the  little  time  I  had  after  making  the  crops 
each  year  I  improved  well.  I  was  apt  and  kept 
along  pretty  well  with  my  classes  who  went  all  the 
time.  Twenty  months,  all  told,  were  my  school 
days,  and  these  were  cut  up  into  short  bits  of  three 
and  five  months'  terms.  One  term,  I  believe,  was 
for  ten  months ;   but  I  had  to  work  most  of  the  time. 

The  terrible  war  came  on  when  I  was  just  at  the 
age  to  complete  an  education,  and  destroyed  all 
opportunities  to  learn.  I  still  had  chills  every 
summer  and  fall,  and  frequent  hemorrhages  from 
the  lungs;  but  I  kept  it  from  others,  for  I  knew 
they  would  say  I  had  consumption,  and  I  felt  badly 
enough  over  it  already. 


CHAPTER    II. 

EARLY  IMPRESSIONS — CONVICTION  AND  CONVER- 
SION— STAGGERING  AT  DUTY — A  LESSON  FOR 
OTHERS. 

My  religious  impressions  were  received  very- 
early  in  life.  My  parents  were  both  converted  in 
Missouri  before  I  could  know  about  it,  and  although 
they  were  very  quiet,  and  never  held  family  prayer, 
or  prayed  in  the  meetings  at  that  time,  yet  they 
were  Christians,  for  they  lived  better  than  the 
average  ones  in  the  church  to-day.  In  after  life 
they  both  prayed  in  the  meetings  and  gave  their 
testimony,  too. 

My  mother  took  special  pains  to  impress  me  with 
the  fact  of  the  goodness  of  the  Lord  and  the  im- 
portance of  being  good.  But  I  never  tried  to 
pray  until  I  was  fifteen  years  old,  except  in  play, 
as  I  will  explain  in  the  next  chapter. 

In  the  winter  of  1858  I  went  into  the  mountain 
and  procured  some  rich  pine  to  make  torchlights 
with  which  to  blind  the  little  birds  on  their  roosts 
at  night,  and  th^i_knock  them  down  with  the 
brushy  top  of  a  bush. 


EARLY    IMPRESSIONS,    CONVICTION,    ETC.       23 

On  a  Thursday  afternoon  I  was  in  the  dooryard, 
busy  spHtting  my  torch-wood,  preparing  for  a  big 
drive  among  the  birds  that  night  with  my  cousins, 
who  were  to  come  and  go  with  me. 

Mother  stood  in  the  door  looking  on.  By  and 
by  she  asked,  "What  are  you  doing  that  for, 
John?"  IrepHed,  "The  boys  are  coming  to-night 
and  we  are  going  bird-hunting."  She  stood  per- 
fectly silent  for  some  time,  while  I  kept  busy  at 
my  job,  and  thinking  what  a  jolly  time  we  were 
to  have.  She  spoke  again.  How  changed  her 
voice !  In  broken  accents,  filled  with  emotion, 
she  said,  "My  son,  for  the  Lord's  sake  don't  kill 
the  poor  little  birds  !" 

I  had  heard  her  pity  the  little  birds  often,  but 
somehow  there  was  something  very  peculiar  about 
it  this  time,  and  she  used  the  Lord's  name  in  con- 
nection with  it,  too.  Her  voice  trembled.  Her 
words  went  to  my  heart.  I  looked  up  into  her 
face. 

I  fancy  I  see  her  now  as  I  write,  standing  in 
that  door ;  I  look  under  that  sun-bonnet.  I  see 
those  loving  eyes  full  of  tears  and  running  over 
and  down  upon  those  dear  cheeks.  Oh,  how  those 
tears  and  those  words  went  to  my  heart ! 

As  I  sit  at  a  table,  in  Boston,  writing  this  story, 
with  my  own  eyes  full  of  tears,  I  say  with  all  my 
heart,  "  Praise  God  that  I  had  a  Christian  mother  !" 


24       AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

How  I  wish  there  were  more  of  them  to  bless  the 
boys  now  going  to  ruin.  Mothers,  you  know  not 
what  a  word  spoken  in  time,  and  in  the  right  spirit, 
and  with  love  and  prayer,  may  do  for  your  own 
dear  boys.  It  was  more  than  I  could  bear.  I 
dropped  the  torch-wood  and  the  axe  and  fled  to 
the  mountain  as  fast  as  I  could. 

I  wondered  why  I  felt  so,  and  what  made  me 
run  and  hide  among  the  rocks.  My  feelings  can- 
not be  described.  I  never  thought  of  conviction. 
As  I  remained  in  the  mountain  until  meal  time,  I 
wondered  all  the  while,  "Why  did  mother  weep?" 
I  wondered  why  she  used  the  name  of  the  Lord. 

Oh,  I  never  had  such  feelings  before.  I  trem- 
bled so  I  could  hardly  walk  about  the  barn  to  feed 
the  cattle  that  night.  How  I  wished  that  I  might 
not  see  the  boys  that  evening.  But  a  little  after 
dark  my  cousins,  Charley,  Will,  Kern,  and  Amos 
Cargile,  four  of  them,  called  at  the  gate  for  me. 
I  felt  so  weak  it  seemed  that  I  should  sink  to  the 
ground.  I  told  them  that  I  was  sick  and  could 
not  go. 

After  pleading  in  vain  they  took  my  torch-wood 
and  went  without  me.  Somehow  I  did  not  want 
to  go,  and  that  made  me  wonder,  for  it  had  been 
my  great  delight  to  go  on  such  occasions.  I  was 
truly  sick,  but  I  did  not  know  then  what  kind  of 
sickness  it  was.     But,  praise  God,  I  have  learned 


EARLY    IMPRESSIONS,    CONVICTION,    ETC.       25 

that  the  awful  disease  was  sickness  of  soul  because 
of  sin. 

The  horrors  of  that  night  I  shall  never  forget. 
No  sleep  for  me.  Still,  I  had  no  idea  why  I  felt 
so.  My  mother's  look  was  before  me.  I  could 
not  get  out  of  sight  of  that  lovely  face  or  those 
falling  tears.  I  could  not  get  out  of  the  hearing 
of  that  plaintive  voice,  "J/y  son,  for  the  Lord's 
sake  doiit  kill  the  poor  little  birds." 

It  seemed  to  me  every  moment  of  that  night 
that  I  would  have  given  the  whole  world,  if  I  could, 
if  my  dear  mother  had  not  done  and  said  what  she 
did,  and  in  the  manner  she  did.  How  sorry  I  was 
that  I  ever  looked  up  into  her  dear  face  at  that 
time.  It  troubled  me  so  to  have  her  visage  before 
me  just  as  it  appeared  in  the  door  when  she  uttered 
those  words. 

Finally,  the  long  night  passed  away  and  the 
morning  dawned  ;  but  I  was  miserable.  I  went  to 
plow  in  a  field  some  distance  from  home.  As  I 
was  all  alone,  I  had  a  good  chance  for  reflection. 
All  the  while  I  wondered  why  mother  used  the 
Lord's  name  when  she  spoke  to  me.  At  length, 
about  eleven  o'clock  that  day,  as  I  followed  the 
plow,  something  seemed  to  whisper  to  me  these 
words,  "Your  dear  mother  loves  you,  and  wants 
to  teach  you  that  you  are  displeasing  the  Lord, 
and  that  you  ought  to  be  a  Christian  and  serve  the 


26       AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

Lord."      I  heard  no  audible  voice,  but  such  were 
my  impressions. 

I  believe  now  it  was  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God.  I 
thought,  If  that  is  true,  the  Lord  is  grieved  with 
me  and  I  ought  to  ask  his  forgiveness.  I  stopped 
my  horse  and  knelt  right  down  in  the  furrows  to 
pray,  for  the  first  time  that  I  had  ever  tried  in  my 
life. 

I  know  not  what  I  said  or  how  long  I  remained 
on  my  knees,  but  I  heard  voices  and  sprang  to  my 
feet  and  started  my  horse  a  few  steps  to  show  that 
I  was  moving.  Then  I  stopped,  and  looking  back, 
I  saw  three  other  dear  cousins, — Daniel,  Sanders 
and  Finley  Hughes, — coming  toward  me.  Their 
father  was  dead,  and  their  mother  had  come  with 
them  on  foot  across  the  mountain  to  visit  us  for 
the  first  time.  They  were  so  anxious  to  see  me 
they  could  not  wait  till  noon,  but  came  out  to  the 
field. 

Oh,  how  sorry  I  was  that  I  was  on  my  knees. 
I  was  afraid  they  had  seen  me,  and  knew  that  I 
was  trying  to  pray.  But  I  dare  not  ask  them  if 
they  saw  me,  hoping  they  had  not. 

Time  went  on  till  August,  1859,  and  these  things 
followed  me  closely — mother's  look,  her  voice,  her 
tears.  Oh,  how  they  haunted  me  day  and  night ! 
I  was  such  a  miserable  sinner,  life  became  a 
burden  to  me. 


EARLY   IMPRESSIONS,    CONVICTION,  ETC.      2/ 

A  Presbyterian  minister,  whose  name  was  John 
H.  Erwin,  held  a  protracted  meeting  at  ColHns 
Spring,  at  which  there  was  a  mighty  awakening 
among  the  unconverted.  Husbands  and  wives, 
old  men,  young  men  and  maidens,  were  at  the 
altar  of  prayer  together,  and  many  of  them  were 
converted.  I  attended  the  meeting  from  day  to 
day  with  a  heavy  heart.  How  I  did  want  to  go 
forward  to  the  anxious  seat  and  ask  the  prayers 
of  the  few  saints  there  assembled.  I  sat  hour  after 
hour,  wishing  that  some  one  would  come  and  ask 
me  to  go  forward.      I  lacked  the  courage. 

Finally,  my  burden  seemed  so  great  that  I  could 
bear  it  no  longer.  I  rose  and  started  for  the  altar, 
where,  perhaps,  as  many  as  thirty  had  been  down 
praying  for  more  than  an  hour.  As  I  entered  the 
altar  enclosure  the  minister  said  to  me,  "  Don't  you 
want  religion?"  I  answered,  "That  is  just  what  I 
have  started  for,"  and  fell  in  the  straw  at  the 
anxious  seat.  Oh,  how  I  could  weep.  I  thought, 
"  Surely  the  Lord  will  pardon  my  sins  because  of 
my  tears."  The  meeting  continued  there  a  num- 
ber of  days,  and  scores  were  converted  ;  but  I  felt 
worse  and  worse  all  the  while. 

They  moved  the  meeting  from  Collins  Spring  to 
Anderson,  Tenn.  I  followed  it  up,  and  reached 
the  point  where  I  could  not  shed  a  tear.  This 
troubled  me  terribly,  for  I  thought  the  Lord  had 


2  8       AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

withdrawn  his  Spirit  and  I  was  doomed  to  be  lost. 
I  then  trusted  to  the  minister's  prayers  to  save 
me,  and  still  I  grew  more  miserable.  The  meeting 
closed  and  left  me,  ruined,  undone,  lost  forever! 
So  I  felt.      Days  seemed  like  months  almost. 

In  October  following,  the  meeting  opened  at 
Pleasant  Spring,  about  four  miles  from  our  home 
in  Alabama.  It  was  fodder  time  with  us,  but  with 
reluctance  father  consented  for  me  to  leave  the 
work  and  attend  the  meeting.  Here  I  thought 
that  I  would  go  forward  and  let  the  church  pray 
for  me,  since  my  own  prayer  and  that  of  the  min- 
ister's had  failed.  I  was  at  the  anxious  seat  Satur- 
day, Sunday  and  Monday,  and  grew  more  miser- 
able. I  was  uneasy  for  myself,  because  I  could 
not  weep. 

Tuesday  morning,  as  I  rode  to  the  meeting  the 
enemy  got  hold  of  me,  and  told  me  that  my  des- 
tiny was  fixed,  and  there  was  no  use  for  me  to  go 
forward  any  more.  After  debating  the  question  I 
decided  to  give  it  up,  and  go  to  perdition.  My 
feelings  can  never  be  described. 

It  was  the  custom  then,  as  it  is  now  in  the  South, 
for  the  minister,  at  the  close  of  the  sermon,  to  come 
down  into  the  aisles  while  he  delivers  a  warm  ex- 
hortation to  the  unsaved  to  come  forward  to  seek 
salvation.  Those  who  go  to  the  anxious  seats  re- 
main there  till  the  meeting  closes.      The  Christians 


EARLY    IMPRESSIONS,    CONVICTION,    ETC.      29 

talk  to  them,  sing  over  them,  and  pray  with  and 
for  them. 

That  second  Tuesday  morning  in  the  month  of 
October,  1859,  I  shall  never  forget, — the  sermon 
over,  the  invitation  given,  the  anxious  ones  in  the 
altar,  and  the  songs  and  prayers  going  up.  But  I 
sat  in  the  audience,  a  poor  miserable  wretch,  with 
no  tears  at  all,  but  with  more  feeling  than  I  have 
ever  been  able  to  express.  My  thoughts  were, 
"What's  the  use  for  me  to  try  any  more?  I  have 
done  all  they  told  me  to  do,  and  still  grow  worse 
all  the  while.      I  am  a  doomed  sinner." 

While  I  pondered  these  things  so  solemnly  and 
resolutely,  a  young  friend,  Robert  Price,  who  had 
been  converted  at  the  meeting  where  I  started, 
came  to  me  and  lovingly  entwined  his  arm  around 
my  neck  as  he  said,  "John,  never  give  it  up." 

I  thank  God  that  Robert  felt  interest  enough  to 
come  and  cheer  me  on.  Just  the  thought  that 
Robert  Price  loved  me,  and  wanted  me  saved, 
broke  my  hard  heart  to  flinders,  and  opened  an 
avenue  to  the  pent-up  fountain  of  tears,  which 
flowed  more  copiously  than  ever  before.  What 
strange  creatures  we  are,  I  went  forward  again 
all  broken  down  anew.  It  seemed  that  I  could  do 
nothing  but  weep  over  my  wretched  condition. 

On  my  way  home  I  rode  part  way  with  Eld.  A. 
Templeton,  of  Chattanooga,  who  had  been  preaching 


30        AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

in  the  meeting,  but  who  was  now  going  home. 
As  we  separated  at  the  forks  of  the  road  he  shook 
my  hand;  saying  so  lovingly,  "When  you  get  relig- 
ion write  to  me."  As  I  took  the  last  look  at  him 
in  the  distance  I  spoke  the  words,  "  F'arewell  forever, 
vou  are  going  to  heaven  and  I  am  bound  for  hell  1" 
I  felt  just  what  I  said.  I  had  been  taught  to  believe 
in  heaven  and  hell  at  death.  I  remembered  among 
the  last  things  spoken  so  kindly  by  that  godly  man 
w?s,  "You  can  get  religion  riding  along  the  road 
as  well  as  ?it  the  mourners'  bench." 

I  do  not  admire  the  phrase  "get  religion,"  or 
"mourners'  bench,"  but  those  were  commonplace 
terms  then.  As  I  uttered  the  words  as  above  stated 
I  bowed  my  face  to  the  horse's  mane,  buried  it  in 
my  hands  and  wept  afresh.  I  cared  not  where  my 
horse  carried  me.  I  was  praying  and  feeling  worse 
all  the  while.  After  having  gone  about  a  half  mile 
after  Bro.  Templeton  left  me,  I  felt  so  miserable 
that  I  made  up  my  mind  that  I  could  not  possibly 
live  to  get  home.  I  did  not  wish  to  die  in  the 
saddle  and  fall  to  the  ground  among  the  stones, 
but  thought  it  best  to  dismount  and  die  in  the  fence 
corner 

Just  as  I  made  the  effort  to  take  my  foot  from 
the  stirrup  the  words  of  Paul  came  to  my  mind : 
"Being  justified  freely  by  his  grace  through  the 
redemption  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus:    Whom  God 


EARLY   IMPRESSIONS,    CONVICTION,    ETC.      3 1 

hath  set  forth  to  be  a  propitiation  through  faith  i» 
his  blood,  to  declare  his  righteousness  for  the  re- 
mission of  sins  that  are  past,  through  the  forbear- 
ance of  God."  Rom.  3  :  24,  25.  I  sprang  up  in 
my  saddle  and  spoke  out,  "  Well,  well !  here  I  have 
been  all  these  weeks  trying  to  do  what  Christ 
did  for  me  over  eighteen  hundred  years  ago."  I 
thought  I  must  do  something  to  commend  me  to 
God's  favor ;  but  now  it  occurred  to  me  that  Jesus 
had  purchased  salvation  for  inc,  with  his  own  blood. 
It  was  in  heaven's  bank  for  me.  I  believed  it,  and 
claimed  it   and  was  justified  in  believing  it. 

My  terrible  burden  was  gone.  Oh,  the  sweet 
peace  that  filled  my  soul,  happy,  happy  boy  that  I 
was.  I  looked  at  the  persimmon  bushes  and  their 
very  leaves  seemed  to  quiver  with  the  love  of  God. 
I  felt  so  blessed  I  looked  around  with  amazement 
and  joy  and  could  only  utter  the  word,  "Well, 
well,  well,  well."  I  suppose  I  repeated  that  word 
hundreds  of  times.  It  was  but  a  little  way  to  the 
home  of  my  Uncle  Jesse  Cargile.  As  I  passed  the 
gate  he  came  out  to  inquire  after  the  meeting.  I 
never  had  seen  such  a  face  in  all  my  life.  His 
very  countenance  appeared  changed,  and  lighted 
up  with  such  brilliancy  that  a  halo  of  glory  seemed 
to  adorn  his  face.  I  had  stepped  out  of  darkness 
into  light.      Into  a  new  world,  as  it  were. 

As  I  rode  along,  rejoicing  in  my  heart,  something 


32        AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

said  to  me,  "You  are  deceived,  because  you  did 
not  halloo."  I  thought,  "  Perhaps  I  am  deluded  and 
am  not  converted  at  all."  This,  of  course,  caused 
my  ecstatic  feeling  to  subside  somewhat  before  I 
reached  home,  and  I  made  up  my  mind  to  say 
nothing  about  it.  But  mother  says  she  saw  by  my 
countenance  before  I  got  off  the  horse  that  I  was 
converted.  She  was,  no  doubt,  much  interested, 
and  watched  me,  and  prayed  for  me,  but  said  noth- 
ing to  me. 

Father  was  hoeing  onions  in  the  garden.  I  fed 
my  horse  and,  going  to  the  garden,  I  seized  a  hoe 
and  began  in  the  next  row  beside  him,  I  was  not 
thoroughly  satisfied.  My  burden  was  gone,  but 
doubts  kept  coming  up  in  my  mind.  Finally,  feel- 
ing that  I  must  tell  father  about  it  and  have  him 
rejoice  with  me,  I  said,  "  Father,  would  it  surprise 
you  to  hear  that  I  had  religion?"  He  looked  very 
cool  and  replied,  "  It  would  not  surprise  me  to  hear 
that  you  thought  you  had." 

Oh,  dear  !  how  his  words  did  throw  a  cloud  over 
me.  I  thought,  "  Perhaps  I  am  deceived."  I  hoed 
about  half  a  dozen  more  rows,  and  became  so 
agitated  that  I  threw  down  my  hoe  and  ran  to  the 
mountain,  where  I  prayed  among  the  rocks  till 
night.  But  all  the  while  I  did  not  feel  any  burden 
at  all.  I  did  not  wish  to  be  deceived.  Father 
evidently  said  that  for  m}'  good. 


EARLY    IMPRESSIONS,    CONVICTION,    ETC.       33 

For  two  days  more  I  was  in  the  altar  for  prayer. 
Friday  morning,  as  I  was  on  my  knees  at  the  anx- 
ious seat,  the  minister  said  to  me,  "We  know  that 
we  have  passed  from  death  unto  life,  because  we 
love  the  brethren."  (i  John  3:  14.)  Looking 
up  into  his  face  I  replied,  "Why,  I  have  done  that 
ever  since  last  Tuesday."  Said  he,  "Well,  that 
is  an  evidence  that  you  are  converted."  I  said, 
"Well,  I  will  get  up,  then."  As  I  rose  to  my  seat, 
a  young  lady,  one  of  my  schoolmates,  who  had 
recently  been  converted,  came  rushing  to  me  and 
said,  "  Tell  it,  John,  tell  it.'"  I  replied,  "Just  wait 
till  I  know  what  I  am  telling." 

Riding  along  with  Bro.  Jacoway,  for  my  encour- 
agement, he  told  me  his  experience.  It  harmonized 
so  sweetly  with  my  own  that  I  became  thoroughly 
satisfied  and  was  happy  in  the  Lord.  I  felt  that 
for  all  the  balance  of  my  life  this  world  would  be 
a  paradise  for  me. 

I  wrote  to  Bro.  Templeton,  and  described  my  feel- 
ings as  best  I  could.  Soon  a  reply  came  which  I 
opened  in  the  post  office, and  began  to  read  as  follows  : 

"  My  Dear  Young  Brother  : — I  have  read  and 
re-read  your  letter.  How  I  do  rejoice  with  you  in 
your  happy  change." 

Involuntarily  I  gave  vent  to  my  sudden  emotion 
by  sobbing  aloud.      I  felt  so  ashamed  that  I  ran 


34       AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

out  at  the  back-door.  When  alone  I  read  the 
balance  of  the  letter,  which  I  give  for  the  benefit 
of  other  young  people  who  may  read  it.  Thirty 
years  have  passed  since  I  saw  that  letter,  but  I  can 
repeat  it  as  though  it  were  now  before  me.  He 
said : 

"  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  your  conversion  is 
genuine.  And  now  let  me  advise  you  to  read  your 
Bible  much.  It  will  do  you  more  good  than  all 
other  books.  Have  your  time  and  place  for  secret 
prayer,  and  never  neglect  it.  The  eyes  of  the 
wicked  will  be  always  on  you,  but  give  them  no 
chance  to  say  a  word  against  you.  Can  you  do 
too  much  for  Jesus  who  has  done  so  much  for 
you  ?" 

That  dear  man  died  with  the  armor  on,  in  Cor- 
sicana,  Texas,  and  I  expect  to  see  him  when  the 
righteous  dead  live  again.  "Walk  in  the  light  as 
ye  have  the  light,"  is  the  holy  command.  Now  I 
was  in  the  light,  and  it  shone  right  down  to  bap- 
tism, as  the  first  step  of  obedience  after  faith. 
There  I  staggered. 

We  had  four  denominations  in  the  country,  and  I 
knew  not  which  one  was  right.  Father  very  wisely 
advised  me  to  read  for  myself,  and  let  the  Bible 
lead  me.  I  would  here  admonish  all  who  are  just 
as  I  was  then  to  delay  not  to  be  baptized,  and  then, 
if  need  be,  settle  the  matter  of  church  membership. 


EARLY    IMPRESSIONS,    CONVICTION,    ETC.       35 

I  know  by  a  sad  experience  of  six  years  that  to 
neglect  that  duty  brings  only  darkness,  leanness  of 
soul,  and  continued  doubting.  I  united  with  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  because  with 
them  I  was  converted,  but  I  deferred  baptism.  I 
did  not  enjoy  religion,  and  could  see  that  I  did  not 
grow  spiritually.  I  was  filled  with  doubts  and  fears 
all  the  time. 

Oh,  dear  reader,  are  you  standing  in  such  a 
place?  Let  me  beseech  you,  step  right  out  and 
follow  the  Lord  by  being  ''buried  with  him  by 
baptism."  (Rom.  6:  4.)  Of  my  baptism  I  will 
speak  more  in  another  chapter. 


CHAPTER    III. 

CALLED  TO  PREACH  THE  GOSPEL,  MARRIAGE,  ETC. 

I  DO  not  believe  in  the  old  Calvinistic  doctrine 
of  fore-ordination,  but  that  I  was  born  to  be  a 
preacher  I  have  no  doubt.  From  my  earliest 
recollection,  when  playing  with  other  children,  I 
always  proposed  to  play  "going  to  meeting,  and 
let  me  be  the  preacher." 

In  my  travels  in  Texas  I  saw  a  lady  who  went 
to  school  with  my  oldest  sister,  and  she  told  me 
the  following  story,  which  I  had  forgotten :  On  a 
certain  Saturday,  she  and  two  other  young  ladies 
came  home  with  my  sister  to  stay  over  Sunday, 
and  have  a  good  time  in  the  country.  My  father 
was  clearing  a  new  ground  field.  The  four  girls, 
all  about  grown,  were  roaming  through  the  stumps 
and  logs  of  that  field,  and  I  skipped  along  after 
them  astraddle  of  a  long  stick  for  a  horse.  That 
was  a  favorite  sport  for  me. 

One  of  the  girls  found  a  bright  new  handle  of 
a  currycomb,  with  a  silvery  looking  tin  button  and 
a  ring  on  the  end  of  it.     They  tied  a  string  to  it, 


CALLED  T(3  PREACH  THE  GOSPEL,  ETC.   3/ 

and  said  if  1  would  preach  for  them  they  would  let 
me  have  it  to  tie  on  my  stick-horse  for  a  bell.  I 
agreed  to  it.  They  placed  me  on  top  of  a  large 
elm  stump  about  six  feet  from  the  ground  ;  then 
they  sat  on  the  log  and  opened  the  meeting  by 
singing.  None  of  them  were  Christians,  and  they 
were  all  as  full  of  fun  as  it  is  possible  for  romping 
young  school  girls  to  be.  But  this  time  they  got 
more  then  they  bargained  for.  *  After  their  song 
was  ended  I  knelt  on  the  stump  and  prayed.  Then, 
standing  on  it,  I  preached  to  them  with  such  earnest- 
ness that  they  all  wept,  and  were  ashamed  of  their 
job.  While  I  preached  for  my  first  salary,  they 
were  convicted,  and  concluded  that  they  had  the 
worst  end  of  the  bargain,  and  were  all  sorry  that 
they  had  made  a  mock  of  religion,  by  hiring  me  to 
preach  in  order  that  they  might  have  a  laugh.  But 
they  confessed  that  none  of  them  felt  like  laughing. 
I  was  always  religiously  inclined,  but  lacked  cour- 
age. My  feeble  health,  I  presume,  caused  me  to  he 
very  timid,  and  wanting  in  self-confidence.  When 
I  was  converted,  one  of  the  first  things  that  came 
upon  me  was  a  burden  for  lost  souls.  (3h,  how  I 
wanted  my  dear  young  friends  saved.  But  I  was 
too  bashful  to  tell  them  about  it.  I  often  prayed 
for  them.  I  well  remember  the  first  prayer  I  ever 
offered  in  public.  Bro.  Erwin  was  pastor,  and  two 
wealthy  farmers  were  what  they  call  in  the  Cumber- 

447249 


38        AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

land  Presbyterian  Church,  "Ruling  Elders,"  but 
they  would  not  pray.  In  a  meeting  one  day,  at  old 
Pleasant  Spring,  the  pastor  called  on  one  of  them 
to  lead  in  prayer.  The  only  response  was  the  very 
handy  words,  "  ^;trr;/^^  w^/"  Then  he  requested 
the  other  elder  to  lead,  only  to  receive  the  same 
reply.      He  then  asked  me  to  lead  in  prayer. 

People  in  the  popular  churches  South  did  not 
pray  voluntarily  flien,  and  do  not  now,  as  our  peo- 
ple do.  And  not  every  one  will  pray,  even  when 
called  on  to  do  so.  I  felt  then,  and  believe  to  this 
day,  that  Bro.  Ervvin  asked  me  to  pray  simply  as  a 
burlesque.  They  were  men  of  wealth  and  influ- 
ence. I  was  a  pale,  sickly  youth  sixteen  years  old, 
but  not  larger  than  a  ten-year-old  boy  ought  to 
be.     But  I  prayed  as  best  as  I  could. 

Time  went  on,  and  my  burden  increased  with  my 
age.  I  remember  how  I  loved  my  school-mates, 
the  Jacoway  boys,  the  Tally  boys,  the  McMahan 
boys  and  my  cousins.  How  often  I  left  the  play- 
ground at  the  Collins  Spring  School,  taught  by 
P.  G.  Griffin,  and  went  into  the  mountain  to  pray 
for  them. 

When  on  my  knees  pleading  for  them  the  im- 
pression would  come  upon  me  to  talk  to  them,  but 
I  would  speak  out  and  answer,  "Lord,  I  can't."  I 
knew  the  Lord  wanted  me  to  preach,  but  I  felt 
that  I  never  could.      I  often  told  the  Lord  I  had 


CALLED   TO    PREACH   THE    GOSPEL,    ETC.       39 

not  sense  enough  to  preach.  When  the  civil  war 
broke  out  I  left  home  at  eighteen,  and  went  with 
a  picture-maker  in  the  army  to  learn  the  business. 
I  hoped  then  to  wear  away  those  terrible  impres- 
sions which  had  followed  me  since  my  conversion, 
with  ever-increasing  weight  on  my  heart.  But  in- 
stead of  relief,  I  was  daily  harassed  by  the  con- 
viction that  it  was  my  duty  to  preach  the  gospel. 

During  the  almost  two  years  that  I  was  with  the 
army,  I  heard  many  oaths  uttered,  but  never  once 
without  feeling  that  I  ought  to  reprove  those  who 
uttered  them.  I  went  often  with  crowds  of  young 
men  to  drink  lager  beer,  hoping  to  drown  the  impres- 
sions. It  was  with  these  associates,  while  stationed 
at  Cleveland,  Tenn.,  that  I  learned  to  smoke  a  cigar. 

We  moved  our  tent  to  Dalton,  Ga.,  where  we  re- 
mained several  months.  Picture-makers,  you  know, 
are  generally  respected  by  the  ladies.  Although 
we  were  strangers  and  with  the  army,  some  ladies 
came  in  to  get  pictures,  and  on  leaving  they  invited 
me  out  into  the  country  on  a  certain  night  to  "a 
sociable."  Well,  I  wanted  to  be  sociable,  and  so 
I  went  on  foot  and  had  an  awful  time  finding  the 
house.  I  soon  found  that  they  were  preparing  for 
a  queer  sociable.  They  began  to  choose  partners 
for  a  reel  in  "Weevily  Wheat"  and  "Killimy 
Cranky,"  and  wanted  me  to  select  a  partner  for 
the  "set."     But  I  refused,  saying  I  had  only  come 


40       AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

to  be  sociable,  and  not  to  dance  any  of  those  jigs. 

By  and  by  they  changed     the    programme     and 

the  ladies  chose  partners.      Satan  is  pretty  sharp. 

He  knew  that  it  would  be  impolite  to  refuse  to  be 

sociable  with  a  lady,  and  I  believe  he  set  that  trap 

for  me.     Sure  enough,  here  comes  a  beautiful  young 

lady,  dressed  in  the  "  home-spun  dress"  of  the  song 

of  "The  Southern  Girl,"  so  popular  in  the  South 

during  the  war. 

She  knew  me  not,  but  with  blushing  cheeks  she 

said,  "  Mister,  will  you  play  with  me."      I  had  made 

up  my  mind  that  they  should  not  catch  me  in  such 

a  trap  as  that,  and  that  I  would  say  No  to  whoever 

asked  me  to  play  with  her.     But  the  request  was 

made,  and  I  was  so  bashful  that  I  said  "  Y^s"  before 

I  had  time  to  fix  my  mouth  to  say  the  other  word. 

She  seized  my  arm  and  we  were  soon  in  the  circle. 

Taking  up  our  line  of  march  around  the  floor  of 

that  memorable  log  cabin,  they  raised  the  song: — 

"Old  sister  Pliebe,  how  merry  were  we 
The  night  we  sat  under  that  juniper-tree." 

I  thought,  "  Now  that  is  a  lie.  I  never  saw  old 
sister  Phebe,  and  I  never  sat  with  her  under  a  juni- 
per-tree at  night.  Here  I  am  singing,  or  trying  to 
sing,  these  lies  and  my  name  on  the  church  book 
at  home." 

Satan  whispered  to  me,  "  Pshaw !  nobody  here 
knows  that  you  are  a  Christian,  and  the  folks  at 


CALLED   TO    PREACH    THE   GOSPEL,    ETC.      4 1 

home  will  never  find  out  this  frolic,  anyway.  And 
besides  that,  you  -know  you  have  been  burdened 
with  impressions  to  preach  the  gospel,  and  here  is 
just  the  place  to  drive  those  things  so  far  from  your 
mind  that  they  will  never  bother  you  again."  That 
pleased  me,  and  I  thought,  "All  right ;  anything 
now  for  peace  of  mind  and  easing  of  conscience." 

Two  or  three  times  we  marched  around  the  room 
and  the  thought,  "Nobody  here  knows  T  am  a 
Christian,"  comforted  me.  But  all  of  a  sudden  it 
flashed  upon  me,  "But  God  knows  it,  and  he  sees 
me  now."  I  shall  never  forget  those  indescribable 
feelings.  How  my  heart  fluttered.  I  really  thought 
I  felt  my  boot-heels  turning  under  my  feet.  I  said 
to  my  partner,  "Will  you  please  excuse  me,  for  I 
am  sick?" 

I  took  a  seat  near  the  door,  and  as  soon  as  they 
started  around  the  circle  again  I  skulked  out  of  that 
house  and  started  for  Dalton,  feeling  meaner  than 
I  can  tell.  I  had  deceived  people  and  had  tried  to 
deceive  God.  I  got  lost  on  my  way  to  Dalton,  and 
wandered  in  the  woods  several  hours.  I  reached 
my  tent  about  three  in  the  morning,  all  tired  out 
and  miserable  in  spirit.  As  I  fell  upon  my  cot 
I  said,  "That  is  my  last  social  party,"  and,  dear 
reader,  I  have  kept  my  word. 

The  "woe  is  me  if  I  preach  not  the  gospel"  be- 
came heavier  than  ever,  and  I  knew  I  never  could 


42        AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

bear  to  get  up  before  an  audience  and  expose  my 
ignorance,  and  become  a  laughing-stock  for  the 
world.  I  had  been  telling  the  Lord  these  five 
years  that  I  had  not  ability  enough  to  preach. 
Now  I  thought,  in  order  to  get  rid  of  the  burden 
I  must  be  decided.  So  I  said  postively,  "  I  will 
not  preach,  for  I  am  not  able."  For  a  few  weeks 
this  seemed  to  relieve  me,  and  I  had  but  little 
thought  or  trouble  about  religion  or  duty. 

It  was  in  September,  1864,  that  I  retired  to  my 
cot  one  night  feeling  as  well  as  usual.  I  slept  well 
all  night,  and  was  awakened  the  next  morning  after 
daylight  by  the  singing  of  our  pet  mocking-bird  on 
the  ridge-pole  of  the  tent.  I  felt  perfectly  well  and 
pleasant.  No  pain  in  my  body  at  all.  But  when 
I  made  an  effort  to  arise  I  was  as  rigid  as  a  log. 
I  could  not  move  hand  or  foot,  and  there  was  but 
little  sense  of  feeling  in  either.  I  remained  quiet 
a  few  moments  for  reflection.  I  tell  you,  they  were 
solemn  moments,  too.  The  conflicts  of  the  last 
five  years  passed  through  my  brain  in  rapid  suc- 
cession, and  I  felt  that  I  must  own  up.  So  I  said, 
"  This  is  the  Lord' s  work."  I  said  in  my  distress, 
"  O  Lord,  my  God,  you  know  I  never  can  preach." 
Here  I  broke  down  and  wept  in  despondency. 

The  boys  in  the  gallery  dressed  me,  fed  me,  and 
carried  me  to  the  train  and  I  started  for  home.  I 
missed  connection  in  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  and  had 


CALLED  TO  PREACH  THE  GOSPEL,  ETC.   43 

to  stop  over  till  next  day.  I  was  carried  from  the 
train  to  the  Crutchfield  House  and  fed  hke  a  help- 
less infant,  for  I  could  not  handle  a  knife  and  fork 
at  all.  The  waiters  undressed  me  and  put  me  to 
bed,  and  next  morning  dressed  me,  fed  me,  and 
carried  me  to  the  train.  For  all  this  care  and 
attention  they  charged  me  seven  dollars. 

I  reached  home  and  lay  on  my  back  four  weeks. 
During  all  this  while  I  had  no  pain  at  all  except 
seven  boils  under  my  left  arm  at  the  same  time. 
I  was  sure  of  being  lost  if  I  did  not  preach,  and  I 
knew  I  had  not  enough  ability  for  that,  therefore  I 
considered  my  doom  sealed. 

One  afternoon  on  my  bed  I  looked  back  over 
my  life,  and  tried  to  recount  the  goodness  of  God 
to  .me.  My  heart  broke  down  and  I  wept  freely 
for  the  second  time  since  the  decision  that  brought 
the  affliction  upon  me.  In  my  anguish  of  soul  I 
cried  out,  "O  Lord,  I  will  do  anything  in  this  world 
if  you  will  help  me,  and  let  me  get  up  from  this 
bed."  I  went  to  sleep  that  night  feeling  perfectly 
resigned  to  the  will  of  God,  and  that  brought  ease 
of  mind  and  conscience. 

A  Methodist  meeting  was  being  held  in  Uncle 
Dow  Robert's  old  house,  for  the  army  had  de- 
stroyed all  our  churches.  I  had  not  been  to  meeting 
for  over  two  years.  Next  morning  after  I  made 
this  pledge  to  the  Lord  I  felt  better.      In  a  few  days 


44       AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

I  could  walk  by  using  two  canes.  And  I  hobbled 
along  in  that  way  two  miles  and  a  half  until  I  came  in 
sight  of  the  meeting-house.  When  I  heard  the  sweet 
singing,  I  halted.  How  natural  !  How  blessed  ! 
But  how  miserable  it  made  me  feel.  I  turned  aside 
among  the  rocks  and  fell  on  my  face,  for  I  could 
not  kneel. 

There  I  made  my  confession  to  the  Lord,  renewed 
my  covenant,  and  got  blessed,  being  justified  by 
faith  on  my  honest  confession  and  solemn  vow. 
When  I  reached  the  door  of  the  old  abandoned  log 
hut,  in  McMahan's  Cove,  it  was  crowded  with  peo- 
ple. A  beautiful  girl,  Miss  Nancy  Christian,  of 
eighteen  years,  had  been  converted  and  was  happy 
in  the  Lord ;  and  was  then  embracing  her  father 
and  beseeching  him  to  give  his  heart  to  the  Lord 
and  become  a  Christian.  We  had  been  brought 
up  near  each  other,  but  I  had  never  thought  of  her 
other  than  as  a  ffiend.  But  now  there  was  some- 
thing peculiar  in  the  sound  of  her  happy  voice. 
As  I  stood  at  the  door  looking  in  on  the  scene,  I 
said  to  myself,  "You  are  mine  if  I  can  get  you." 

When  the  meeting  closed,  strange  to  say,  she 
came  to  me  in  the  yard  and  said,  "Mr.  Cargile, 
will  you  go  home  with  us  to  dinner?"  I  replied 
with  joy,  "Indeed,  I  will,  madam,  and  glad  of  the 
opportunity."  Three  months  from  that  time,  on 
the  22d  of  December,  1864,  at  two  o'clock  P.  M., 


CALLED   TO    PREACH   THE   GOSPEL,    ETC.      45 

she  ceased  to  be  Miss  Nancy  Christian  and  became 
Mrs.  Nancy  Cargile. 

I  had  said  that  I  would  never  marry  till  I  made 
three  thousand  dollars.  I  made  some  mone)-,  but 
invested  it  in  business  in  the  arm>\  While  I  was 
at  home  unable  to  turn  myself  in  bed  the  Lord 
permitted  the  soldiers  to  destroy  ever)thing  I  had 
in  Dalton,  and  I  had  only  twelve  dollars  and  fifty 
cents  in  my  purse.  After  our  marriage  I  spent 
that  sum  for  dishes.  It  was  war  times  and  every- 
thing was  high.  I  paid  three  dollars  and  a  half  for 
a  set  of  plates  such  as  we  now  buy  for  fifty  cents ; 
and  other  things  were  in  proportion.  My  father 
gave  me  half  a  side  of  bacon  and  a  half-bushel  of 
corn  meal,  and  with  this  slender  outfit  we  launched 
our  bark  upon  the  sea  of  wedded  life. 

•I  hoped  then  that  in  my  struggles  to  make  a 
living  I  might  forget  the  subject  of  preaching.  I 
had  but  little  education,  but  I  began  teaching,  and 
sat  up  nights  to  study  the  lessons  that  I  expected 
to  hear  my  pupils  recite  the  next  day.  In  this  way 
I  kept  ahead  of  my  classes,  and  by  hard  work  I 
gained  the  reputation  of  being  a  good  teacher,  and 
had  the  good  will  of  all  my  students.  They  seem 
like  children  to  me  now  when  I  meet  them. 

My  wife  and  I  were  baptized  together  by  Bro. 
Erwin,  in  May,  1865,  she  joining  the  church  with 
me.     When  I  followed  the  Lord  in  that  dut\'  which 


46        AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

I  had  neglected  for  six  years  I  received  light  and 
bliss  I  had  not  known  before.  Now  the  duty  of 
preaching  became  more  imperative  than  ever  be- 
fore. I  began  to  study  the  question  of  baptism. 
The  Lord  said,  Be  baptized;  and  Paul  said,  "We 
are  buried  by  baptism."  (Rom.  6:  4.)  I  saw 
clearly  that  if  I  preached  the  gospel  I  would  have 
to  administer  immersion  or  burial  in  water,  alone 
for  baptism,  and  that  only  for  adult  believers. 

This  I  could  not  do  and  remain  in  a  church 
where  three  ways  of  baptizing  were  received  as 
efficacious.  I  do  not  think  any  one  should  remain 
in  a  church  whose  doctrines  and  practices  he  can- 
not believe  and  endorse.  I  believe  that  by  belong- 
ing to  a  church  I  say  to  the  world,  I  believe  just 
as  this  church  does.  And  hence  I  must  be  honest 
and  conscientious,  and  wear  a  coat  that  fits  me  in 
churchology.  This  led  me  to  join  the  Primitive 
Baptists,  in  September,  1867. 

I  always  tried  to  live  up  to  the  light  of  truth  as 
soon  as  I  found  it  out,  no  matter  what  the  world  said. 
During  all  this  while  I  had  not  told  a  living  being 
about  the  impressions  I  had  to  preach  the  gospel. 

On  a  certain  Saturday  I  did  not  go  to  church- 
meeting,  but  stayed  at  home  to  help  my  wife  wash. 
I  had  been  in  school  all  the  week,  and  she  was  not 
well  and  could  not  do  it  alone.  In  the  afternoon 
Bro,  Newton  Hackworth  came  to  see  us,  and  said 


CALLED  TO  TREACH  THE  GOSPEL,  ETC.   47 

he  had  come  to  tell  me  that  on  a  motion  made  by 
Bro.  McCoy,  the  oldest  man  in  the  church,  they 
had  voted  me  a  license  to  preach.  I  was  dumb- 
founded !  How  in  the  world  did  they  ever  get  the 
idea  that  I  could  preach,  when  I  knew  myself  that 
I  could  not?  They  wanted  me  to  try  next  day. 
I  refused,  but  tried  to  pray  in  the  meeting. 

I  never  believed  much  in  dreams,  but  soon  after 
this  I  had  a  remarkable  one,  which  I  call  a  double 
dream.  Dear  old  Bro.  Hogwood  was  our  pastor. 
He  lived  seven  miles  away  on  top  of  the  Cumber- 
land Mountain,  and  only  came  every  second  Sunday 
and  Saturday  before.  I  went  to  bed  one  night 
terribly  troubled  over  the  work,  and  falling  asleep 
I  dreamed  that  I  was  bitten  on  the  shin  by  a  large 
rattlesnake.  Father  told  me  to  "go  to  the  spring 
and  wash."  I  held  my  leg  so  that  the  stream  from 
the  spout  of  Sr.  Holder's  spring,  where  we  got 
water,  fell  on  the  wound.  I  rubbed  it  awhile  and 
straightened  up.  Mother  stood  at  rny  back  and 
said,  "My  son,  you  must  work  or  perish." 

This  was  a  very  forcible  dream,  and  I  awoke. 
After  thinking  it  over  quite  a  while  I  fell  asleep 
again,  and  dreamed  that  Bro.  Hogwood  came  home 
with  us  from  the  meeting,  and  that  he  and  I  were 
sitting  in  the  dooryard  while  my  wife  prepared 
dinner,  and  I  told  him  the  dream  of  the  rattlesnake 
just  as  I  have  related  it  here. 


48       AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

I  fancy  I  can  see  him  now  as  he  sat  with  elbows 
on  his  knees,  and  whittHng  on  a  chip  with  his 
pocket  knife,  as  he  turned  his  face  to  me  and  said, 
"Don't  you  want  me  to  interpret  it  for  you?"  I 
answered,  "Yes."  Said  he,  "That  mother  is  the 
church.  That  serpent  is  Satan.  The  church  wants 
you  to  do  what  the  Father  has  for  you  to  do,  and 
unless  you  do  it  you  will  perish." 

Awaking  again,  I  was  all  in  a  tremor.  I  thought 
the  matter  over.  It  was  clear  as  noonday.  I  de- 
cided that  I  would  not  tell  my  wife  or  anybody  else 
till  I  should  see  Bro.  Hogwood  and  tell  him  the 
dream,  and  see  what  he  had  to  say. 

The  next  meeting  day,  wife  and  I  both  went. 
The  meeting  closed  and  I  heard  him  promise  to 
go  with  Bro.  Gonce.  Stepping  forward,  I  said, 
"Bro.  Hogwood,  I  hoped  you  would  go  home  with 
me  to-day."  At  once  he  said,  "Well,  Bro.  Gonce, 
excuse  me,  and  I  will  go  with  Bro.  John  for  dinner, 
and  come  to  your  house  to-night." 

It  being  hot  weather,  and  we  having  only  one 
room  and  no  stove,  our  cooking  was  done  in  an 
old-fashioned  fireplace.  While  dinner  was  being 
prepared  we  took  chairs  out  in  the  yard  on  the 
shaded  side  of  the  house  and  sat  talking,  in  the 
same  position  that  we  were  in  \x\y  dream.  I  asked 
the  question  just  as  I  had  done  in  my  sleep. 
Whittling  on  a  chip,  with  elbows  on  his  knees,  and 


CALLED    TO    PREACH    THE    GOSPEL,    P:TC.      49 

turning  his  face  to  me,  Bro.  Hogvvood  said,  in  a 
loving  voice,  "Don't  you  want  me  to  inetrpret  it 
for  you  ?"  And  he  repeated  the  identical  words, 
with  the  same  look  and  voice  that  I  had  seen  and 
heard  in  the  dream.  I  felt  as  though  I  should 
sink,  but  said  nothing. 

"Oh,  my  soul!  what  shall  I  do?  I  know  I 
never  can  preach."  These  words  were  my  burden 
of  thought  all  the  evening  after  he  left.  Nobody 
yet  knew  of  the  conflicts  through  which  I  had  been 
passing  all  these  years.  How  could  I  ever  tell 
anybody  that  I  must  preach?  How  could  I  ever 
expose  myself  before  an  audience?  I  had  held 
family  prayer  in  father's  house  after  I  was  con- 
verted, and  that  was  an  awful  cross.  I  knew  within 
myself  I  never  could  preach. 

The  last  struggle  I  had  over  the  matter  befor^ 
the  Lord  was  in  February  following.  It  was  a 
cloudy  night  and  very  dark.  Bro.  Hogwood  had 
been  sick  with  typhoid  fever  for  six  weeks,  and  we 
had  heard  that  he  must  die.  On  a  Monday,  wife 
and  I  went  to  an  infair,  or  reception  dinner,  of  a 
neighbor  who  had  been  married  the  day  before. 
Bro.  Douthitt  came  there  from  Bro.  Hogwood's 
house  and  brought  us  the  welcome  news  of  his 
improvement,  and  that  he  was  able  to  sit  at  the 
table  for  his  meals. 

Wife  being  very  tired,  we  retired  early  and  she 


50       AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

fell  asleep  at  once ;  but  no  sleep  for  me.  I  lay 
there  praying,  and,  strange  to  say,  after  all  those 
years  of  struggling  against  preaching,  my  prayer 
was,  "Lord,  show  me  my  duty!"  About  eleven 
o'clock  the  answer  came,  "If  you  knew  your  duty 
would  you  do  it?"  I  answered,  "Yes,  Lord,  any- 
thing in  this  world  but  to  preach,  and  you  know  I 
cannot  do  that."  Here  I  was  as  deeply  convicted 
as  I  ever  had  been  before  my  conversion.  Oh,  it 
was  terrible  to  endure.  In  my  extreme  agony  of 
soul  I  cried  out  aloud,  "Yes,  Lord,  anything-  in 
this  world  if  you  will  help  me." 

Skeptics  may  sneer,  but  I  know  whereof  I  affirm 
when  I  say  that  immediately  there  was  a  peculiar 
light  in  the  room,  which  seemed  to  concentrate 
over  the  foot  of  my  bed ;  but  I  could  see  every- 
thing in  the  room.  It  was  not  a  light  like  the  sun, 
or  like  a  lamp  or  candle.  The  best  expression  I 
can  think  of  with  which  to  describe  it  is  that  it  was 
a  kind  of  golden,  mellow  light.  It  filled  the  room 
like  smoke  and  passed  gradually  away,  in  about  an 
hour. 

When  that  light  burst  into  my  room  I  sprang  up 
in  the  bed  in  a  sitting  position.  I  heard  no  voice, 
but  the  words  were  sensibly  impressed,  as  follows : 
"My  servant  Hogwood  is  dead,  and  there  is  a  work 
for  you  to  do."  In  amazement  I  spoke  aloud  and 
said,  "Why,  Lord,  that  cannot  be,  for  Bro.  Douthitt 


CALLED  TO  PREACH  THE  GOSPEL,  ETC.   5  I 

came  from  his  house  to-day  and  said  he  was  getting 
well."  The  words  were  repeated,  "  He  is  dead,  and 
you  must  take  his  place." 

I  fell  backward  on  my  pillow  and  cried  out,  "  O 
Lord  !  you  know  I  never  can  preach.  I  am  poor, 
and  have  no  education.  There  is  Uncle  Bill  Mack, 
he  has  plenty  to  live  on,  and  an  education,  too  ; 
make  him  preach."  Why  I  spoke  of  Uncle  William 
McMahan  I  know  not.  I  slept  none  that  night, 
but  thought  and  prayed  incessantly. 

Next  morning  I  could  eat  but  little  breakfast. 
Wife  prepared  my  dinner  for  school  as  usual,  not 
knowing  my  struggle  of  mind.  Looking  out,  she 
saw  me  at  the  gate  saddling  the  horse.  She  asked, 
"Where  are  you  going ?"  I  answered,  "  I  am  going 
to  see  old  Bro.  Hogwood  to-day."  She  said, "  What 
about  your  school?"  "I  will  go  by  and  send  the 
children  home,"  said  L  She  said,  "You  had  no 
school  yesterday,  and  they  will  not  like  it."  "  Well," 
I  said,  "  I  have  not  seen  him  since  he  was  sick,  and 
I  am  going."  She  reminded  me  of  the  news  by 
Bro.  Douthitt,  and  tried  in  vain  to  induce  me  to 
wait  till  Saturday.  But  I  felt  that  I  must  see  him. 
I  rode  that  seven  miles  to  his  house  in  great  de- 
pression of  mind.  An  old  outhouse  stood  in  the 
field,  some  distance  from  the  dwelling.  In  that  I 
heard  a  hand-saw  and  a  hammer.  Riding  up  to 
the  gap  of  the  fence,  I  saw  two  carpenters  at  work. 


52        AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

I  asked,  "What  are  you  doing  in  there?"  One 
of  them,  a  son-in-law,  answered,  "Making  the  old 
man's  coffin." 

Dear  reader,  can  you  imagine  my  feehngs?  He 
died  the  same  hour  that  I  saw  the  vision.  I  tum- 
bled off  the  horse  on  to  the  ground  by  the  corner 
of  the  fence,  and  remained  there  for  some  time. 
"Can  I  ever  go  to  the  house?"  The  men  said  it 
would  never  do  for  me  to  go  back  home  and  not 
go  in  to  see  the  distressed  family. 

I  ventured  to  the  door,  and  when  the  broken- 
hearted wife  saw  me  she  gave  vent  to  her  grief  in 
one  heart-rending  scream,  as  she  attempted  to  meet 
me  at  the  door.  Suddenly  I  sank  down  on  the 
step.  After  a  time  I  was  able  to  get  into  the 
house.  She  begged  me  to  stay  over  night,  and 
what  a  night  that  was  ! 

Since  this  last  vision  I  have  never  doubted  my 
call  to  the  ministry.  I  am  aware  that  there  are 
those  who  do  not  believe  in  such  a  call.  But  I 
have  no  quarrel  with  them.  When  a  person  tells 
me  that  he  or  she  is  not  called  to  preach  the  gos- 
pel, I  shall  have  to  believe  what  they  say  about  it. 
The  reader  can  accept  my  simple  story  or  reject 
it.  I  say,  from  an  honest  heart,  it  is  true,  never- 
theless. 

For  the  encouragement  of  many  of  my  dear 
brethren    in   the    ministry  who  are    young  in  the 


CALLED   TO    PREACH   THE    GOSPEL,    ETC.       53 

cause  and  who  have  never  had  such  a  vision,  or 
such  a  revelation,  I  will  say  that  if  I  had  only 
yielded  to  the  call  and  gone  to  work  as  you  have 
done,  I  should  never  have  received  such  dealings 
from  the  Lord.  But  I  refused  and  rebelled  till  the 
Lord  revealed  to  me  the  death  of  his  servant,  seven 
miles  away,  the  selfsame  hour  that  he  died.  If  all 
the  world  should  tell  me  I  am  not  called  to  preach 
the  gospel,  I  must  be  permitted  to  answer  very 
kindly,  "I  know  I  am;  but  I  am  not  disposed  to 
argue  the  case." 

If  there  are  those  preaching  to-day  whom  God 
hath  not  called,  I  would  advise  such  to  quit  the 
business  and  stay  at  home.  I  believe  that  I  must 
preach  or  die.  I  candidly  believe  that,  had  I  re- 
fused the  call  after  that  wonderful  vision  and  reve- 
lation, I  should  have  been  in  my  grave  long  ago. 

Dear  reader,  pray  for  me  that  I  may  have  grace, 
wisdom  and  strength  to  do  the  work  entrusted  to 
me  in  this  solemn  calling. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

FIRST   EXPERIENCE    IN   THE    MINISTRY. 

The  action  of  the  church  in  voting  me  a  Hcense 
to  preach  very  naturally  put  me  before  the  public 
as  a  young  preacher.  This  was  in  the  old  Primi- 
tive Baptist  Church,  at  the  forks  of  Crow  Creek,  in 
Jackson  County,  Ala.,  but  near  Anderson  station, 
in  Tennessee.  I  closed  my  school  and  returned  to 
my  old  home  near  Stevenson,  Ala.,  and  joined 
New  Hope  Church,  not  once  thinking  that  it  was 
the  church  where  Bro.  Hogwood  had  so  long  been 
a  member  before  his  death. 

In  July,  1870,  I  went  to  hear  Bro.  I.  E.  Douthitt 
preach  at  the  residence  of  Bro.  E.  D.  Westmore- 
land, near  Bolivar.  It  was  on  a  Thursday,  but 
there  was  quite  a  crowd  out,  so  that  the  rooms 
and  hall  were  filled.  Bro.  Douthitt  asked  me  to 
take  a  walk,  and  we  went  into  the  dooryard.  Then 
he  said,  "Which  would  you  rather  do  to-day, 
take  a  text  and  preach,  and  let  me  follow  and  call 
mourners,  or  let  me  preach,  and  you  follow  and 
call  mourners?" 


FIRST   EXPERIENCE   IN   THE   MINISTRY.        55 

I  replied  at  once,  "I  cannot  do  either." 

He  spoke  very  positively,  but  at  the  same  time 
kindly,  saying,  "Yes,  but  you  must  do  one  or  the 
other." 

He  had  seemed  like  a  father  since  my  earliest 
acquaintance  with  him,  and  being  quite  old,  of 
course  I  looked  up  to  him.  I  thought  it  over  as  I 
trembled  from  head  to  foot.  I  knew  I  could  not 
give  an  exhortation  and  call  for  seekers.  If  I  went 
first  and  made  a  failure,  I  knew  he  would  come 
after  me  and  preach,  and  so  I  told  him  I  would  go 
first.  I  had  not  thought  of  a  text,  and  had  no 
"blazes"  made.  The  first  thought  was  to  find  a 
little  text,  so  that  the  people  would  not  expect  a 
big  sermon.  After  searching  for  quite  a  while,  I 
found  the  verse,  "He  that  is  dead  is  freed  from 
sin."  (Rom.  6:  7.)  That  was  the  shortest  one 
I  could  find ;  and,  standing  in  the  dooryard,  I 
read  it  out  as  a  text  and  made  my  first  effort  at 
preaching. 

I  do  not  recollect  what  I  said  or  what  points  I 
made,  or  whether  I  had  a  point  in  it  at  all.  I  know 
I  was  terribly  embarrassed,  so  that  I  certainly  was 
pitied  by  all  sympathetic  people  in  the  audience. 
Bro.  Douthitt  then  spoke  with  such  mighty  power 
that  several  came  forward  for  prayers,  and  the  wel- 
kin resounded  with  the  loud  shouts  of  the  Christian 
friends  and  relatives  of  those  who  had  made  a  start. 


56       AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

Soon  after  this,  a  Methodist  brother,  Bates,  and 
myself  appointed  a  prayer-meeting  in  my  father's 
house  one  night.  The  Lord  was  with  us.  One 
was  converted,  and  the  interest  was  so  great  that 
we  concluded  to  hold  a  meeting  in  Edgefield  school- 
house  next  day.  We  continued  there  three  days, 
and  two  more  were  converted.  There  I  began  in 
earnest  to  preach  the  gospel.  It  was  so  blessed 
to  think  of  souls  being  saved. 

An  incident  which  took  place  in  1865,  I  must 
not  omit  to  mention.  It  was  in  the  spring,  and 
there  had  not  been  a  meeting  for  quite  a  while,  as 
the  war  had  demoralized  everything.  An  appoint- 
ment was  made  for  a  certain  Sunday  at  my  father's 
house,  and  it  was  proclaimed  as  a  Union  meeting, 
where  ministers  of  all  denominations  would  come 
and  work  together.  The  very  idea  of  such  unity 
among  God's  people  brought  out  a  wonderful 
crowd.  And,  strange  to  say,  not  a  single  minister 
came.  Bros.  Walton  and  Nickolson,  from  the 
North,  teachers  of  the  freedmen,  were  there,  and 
many  Union  soldiers  were  in  the  audience. 

The  people  began  to  turn  away.  I  felt  terribly 
over  it,  and  said  to  two  young  men  of  the  Metho- 
dist Church,  "This  is  too  bad;  let  us  have  a 
prayer-meeting."  One  of  them  agreed  to  help 
me,  but  the  other  said,  "  You  two  go  ahead  ;  I  will 
not  take  any  part  in  it  at  all."      He  remained  silent 


FIRST   EXPERIENCE    IN   THE   MINISTRY.        57 

while  we  did  the  best  we  could.  The  teachers 
assisted  us,  and  the  Lord  blessed.  I  asked  that 
young  man  why  he  refused  to  join  us  in  the  meet- 
ing. He  replied,  "  Ask  me  six  months  from  now 
and  I  will  tell  you."  So  far  as  I  know,  he  has 
been  in  a  backslidden  state  from  that  day  to  this. 

How  wonderful  it  is  that  when  our  work  is  needed 
most  for  God's  cause,  Satan  tries  hardest  to  have 
us  refuse  to  do  our  duty.  That  day  was  a  time 
when  God's  children  were  to  eat  the  Lord's  Supper 
and  work  together,  and  Satan  had  seemingly  deter- 
mined to  have  a  victory  there.*  That  young  man 
refused  to  do  his  duty  and  grew  cold  as  a  conse- 
quence, while  we  went  forward,  much  agitated,  and 
took  up  the  awful  cross  and  were  blessed,  and  felt 
strengthened  in  the  service  of  the  Lord. 

At  the  time  when  I  moved  back  to  Stevenson 
and  joined  New  Hope  Church,  Bro.  Samuel  Beene, 
of  Jasper,  Tenn.,  was  the  pastor,  or  perhaps,  more 
properly,  the  "pasture,"  and  came  to  preach  for 
us  every  fourth  Sunday  and  Saturday  before.  He 
was  familiarly  known  as  "  Uncle  Sam  Beene."  He 
is  living  to-day,  and  will  excuse  me  when  I  say  he 
was,  as  I  then  thought,  rather  hard  on  me.  Some- 
times when  we  came  to  the  desk  he  would  speak 
out  loudly  and  say,  "Come,  Bro.  John,  get  up  and 
preach  us  a  sermon  about  an  inch  long,  sweet  at 
both  ends,  and  sweet  in  the  middle." 


58       AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

That  naturally  embarrassed  me,  and  then  the 
thought  of  trying  to  preach  before  such  an  able 
man  as  "Uncle  Sam,"  just  simply  caused  me  to 
make  a  failure.  When  I  sat  down  he  arose,  and, 
turning  to  me,  measuring  on  the  finger  of  his  left 
hand  with  his  right,  he  said,  "You  rascal,  you  did 
not  preach  that  long.  I  will  whip  you  next  time 
if  you  don't  do  better."  I  thought  that  was  chas- 
tisement enough.  But  it  is  his  own  Dutch  way  of 
doing  things,  and  I  love  him  as  a  father  in  the  gospel. 

When  his  year  was  out  he  did  not  come,  and  we 
met  to  call  a  preacher  for  the  next  year.  Dear  old 
Bro.  Melton  said,  "  I  move  that  we  ordain  Bro, 
John,  and  take  him  for  our  pastor."  I  rose  to  ob- 
ject, but  instantly  my  vision  and  call  to  the  minis- 
try passed  through  my  mind  and  I  realized  that 
God  was  working.  I  had  been  called  to  take  Bro. 
Hogwood's  place,  and  now  that  would  put  me  ex- 
actly where  he  lived  and  died.  I  said  nothing,  and 
took  my  seat  again. 

As  Primitive  Baptists  never  charge  or  expect 
any  pay  for  preaching,  there  was  no  reason  to  fear 
any  jealousy  on  the  part  of  "Uncle  Sam."  He 
would  only  be  too  glad  to  be  excused  from  a  twen- 
ty-four-miles' ride.  The  motion  was  carried  with- 
out a  dissenting  voice,  and  Brn.  Beene  and  Douthitt 
were  called  to  ordain  me.  They  are  two  of  the 
worthy  old  pillars  in  the  Baptist  Church. 


FIRST   EXPERIENCE   IN   THE   MINISTRY.        59 

On  the  8th  of  December,  1870,  with  their  hearts 
lifted  to  God  in  prayer  for  me  while  their  hands 
rested  on  my  unworthy  head,  they  ordained  me, 
and  set  me  apart  to  the  w^ork  of  the  gospel.  Oh, 
the  charge  that  was  given  me  by  dear  Bro.  Douthitt, 
so  tenderly  given,  too,  while  he  wept  almost  through 
it  all.  He  charged  me  ''before  God"  to  study  the 
Word,  preach  the  Word,  and  live  the  Word.  I 
knew  that  he  meant  every  word  he  said. 

I  always  tried  to  make  a  whole  scholar,  and 
never  wanted  to  do  things  by  halves,  consequently 
his  charge  impressed. me  seriously.  I  knew  that 
my  knowledge  of  Scripture  was  very  limited  indeed, 
and  I  felt  my  incompetency  more  than  ever  before. 
I  worked  hard  all  day  for  food  and  raiment,  and 
often  burned,  not  the  midnight  oil,  but  between 
midnight  and  day,  having  burned  the  last  twigs  of 
dry  cedar  tree-tops,  I  have  gone  to  bed  for  want 
of  light  to  read  by. 

My  custom  was  to  plow  till  twilight,  take  my 
pony  to  the  barn  and  feed  it,  and  then  go  into  the 
mountain  and  get  as  much  dry  cedar  tops  as  I 
could  carry  to  the  house.  I  was  often  too  tired  to 
occupy  a  chair,  but  would  sit  down  on  the  hearth 
with  my  back  against  the  upright  of  the  mantel- 
piece, which  we  in  the  South  call  a  "jamb,"  to 
read  by  the  light  from  that  cedar  brush.  I  was 
too  saving  of  the  brush  to  put  more  into  the  fire- 


60        AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

place  at  one  time  than  was  needed  for  a  sufficient 
light  to  read  by.  How  I  longed  for  that  true  wis- 
dom that  comes  through  a  knowledge  of  the  Word. 
I  thought  I  was  a  poor  stick,  but  the  brethren 
seemed  to  appreciate  me. 

In  1 87 1  I  taught  a  school  in  the  Maxwell  neigh- 
borhood, on  Sand  Mountain,  and  preached  occa- 
sionally. One  Sunday,  at  the  close  of  an  eftort  to 
preach,  I  gave  an  invitation  for  those  to  come  for- 
ward who  wanted  salvation,  and  about  fifteen  young 
people  came,  some  of  whom  were  my  students. 
Without  consulting  anybody,  I  told  the  people  we 
would  close  the  school  and  run  the  meeting,  or 
rather,  let  it  run  a  few  days.  On  Monday  some 
were  gloriously  converted,  and  the  number  of  seek- 
ers increased.  Tuesday  morning  when  I  came  to 
the  meeting  I  felt  an  undercurrent  of  opposition 
there. 

I  did  not  know  at  the  time  that  any  of  my  pat- 
rons were  angry  because  I  had  closed  the  school 
for  a  few  days.  But  one  man,  whose  children  were 
seekers  in  the  meeting,  was  very  much  displeased 
about  it.  However,  he  came  to  the  meeting  and 
sat  in  the  chimney-corner  of  the  school-house  out- 
side. The  house  was  built  of  logs,  with  cracks  all 
open  so  that  he  could  see  the  minister  and  hear 
just  as  well  from  the  outside  and  be  much  more 
comfortable  in  warm  weather. 


FIRSr   KXTERIENCE   IN   THE    MINISTRY.        6l 

When  I  arose  in  the  desk  on  that  morning  to 
open  the  meeting,  I  expressed  my  fecHngs  some- 
what as  foUows :  "The  devil  is  mad  because  this 
meeting  is  going,  and  wants  me  to  stop  it  and  go 
ahead  with  my  school ;  but,  with  God's  help,  I 
shall  conquer  him  and  have  victory  at  last." 

The  man  I  speak  of  was  unsaved,  and,  hearing 
that  remark,  he  arose  hastily,  saying,  "That  trifling 
scoundrel  is  calling  ;//t'  the  devil."  He  started  in 
a  hurry  to  go  to  his  home,  a  little  over  a  mile 
away.  He  told  me  afterwards  that  he  grew  more 
angry  the  more  he  thought  of  being  thus  exposed, 
till  nearly  home,  when  his  thoughts  changed. 
"Perhaps  it  is  the  devil  ///  me  that  causes  me  to 
oppose  this  meeting,  and  if  so  I  am  doing  wrong, 
and  I  will  give  it  up."  When  these  thoughts 
passed  through  his  mind  he  turned  and  came  back, 
deeply  convicted.  He  found  peace  in  accepting 
Christ. 

I  continued  the  meeting,  and  man)-  were  con- 
verted. I  witnessed  a  remarkable  scene  there.  A 
man,  seventy-one  years  old,  and  his  wife  were  in 
the  altar  of  prayer  together,  begging  for  merc>-, 
and  were  both  converted  and  made  to  shout  aloud 
the  praises  of  God.  Time  passed  on,  and  I  worked 
through  the  week  and  preached  Sundays,  and  felt 
that  I  was  doing  the  best  I  could. 

In  April.  1871,  I  had,  as  usual,  procured  my  load 


62        AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

of  cedar  brush,  after  a  hard  day's  plowing,  and 
after  finishing  my  supper  I  hastened  to  my  accus- 
tomed jamb  beside  the  fireplace,  and  having  kin- 
dled a  light,  began  to  study  the  Bible  in  obedience 
to  my  ordination  charge,  and  because  I  loved  the 
Lord  and  felt  the  need  of  knowledge.  I  opened 
at  and  began  reading  the  second  chapter  of  Acts. 
It  was  a  wonderful  manifestation  of  the  power  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  there  on  the  day  of  Pentecost. 

Finally,  I  came  to  the  34th  verse.  There  I 
paused.  "Can  I  believe  my  eyes?"  On  goes 
another  twig  of  dry  cedar  to  make  a  better  light. 
I  looked  again,  and  I  read  in  unmistakable  words: 
'"For  David  is  not  ascended  into  the  heavens/^' 
"Can  it  be  possible  that  David  is  not  in  heaven?" 
thought  I,  as  I  looked  it  over  again  and  again. 
Springing  to  my  feet,  I  shouted,  "Oh,  Nancy, 
come  here  !"  My  wife  was  in  the  side  room  wash- 
ing dishes,  and  hearing  me  call  her  in  such  an 
unusual  tone,  she  rushed  to  the  door  and  asked, 
"What  in  the  world  is  the  matter?" 

I  said,  "I  have  found  a  misprint  in  my  Bible." 
She  asked,  "Why,  how  is  that?"  "Why,  it  says 
here  that  David  is  not  gone  to  heaven,  and  I  know 
he  is.  Such  a  good  man  as  David  I  know  is  in 
heaven  long  ago."  She  said,  "  Maybe  not."  I 
said,  "Oh,  I  know  that  father's  old  family  Bible 
says  he  is  in   heaven,  for  I  have  read   it  many  a 


FIRST   EXPERIENCE   IN    THE   MINISTRY.        6l 

time."  I  was  terribly  troubled  over  the  thought 
of  having  bought  me  a  Bible  in  which  the  printer 
had  made  such  a  fatal  mistake. 

The  night  was  passed  thinking  over  the  awful  idea 
of  having  a  Bible  that  was  wrong ;  sleep  and  rest  fled 
from  me  almost  the  whole  night.  Next  morning,  as 
soon  as  I  was  through  with  my  breakfast,  I  hastened 
over  to  father's.  I  went  into  his  sitting-room  and, 
seizing  the  dear  old  family  Bible,  I  turned  to  Acts, 
the  second  chapter,  and  ran  my  eye  down  to  the 
thirty-fourth  verse  and  read  in  plain  words,  "For 
David  is  NOT  ascended  into  the  heavens  !  "  What 
could  it  mean?  Why  had  I  never  seen  that  *'  not'' 
before?  But  there  it  was  as  plain  to  be  seen  as 
any  other  word  in  the  verse.  My  astonishment 
cannot  be  expressed.  At  once  I  began  searching 
to  learn  why  other  good  people  had  gone  to  heaven 
and  David,  "a  man  after  God's  own  heart,"  had 
been  left  out.  Imdgine  my  surprise  when  I  found 
in  John,  third  chapter  and  thirteenth  verse,  that 
"No  man  hath  ascended  up  to  heaven,  but  he 
which  came  down  from  heaven,  even  the  Son  of 
man  which  is  in  heaven."  And  that  Jesus  told  his 
disciples,  in  John,  thirteenth  chapter  and  thirty- 
third  verse,  "Whither  I  go,  ye  cannot  come." 

Where  are  all  the  people  of  God  who  have  died 
in  the  past?  That  was  the  next  question  to  be 
studied  for  an  answer.      I  soon  found  where  David 


64   AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  A.  CARGILE. 

said,  in  the  one  hundred  and  forty-sixth  Psalm, 
fourth  verse,  that  man's  "breath  goeth  forth,  he 
returneth  to  his  earth;  in  that  very  day  his 
thoughts  perish."  Also  in  the  fifteenth  chapter  of 
1st  Corinthians,  eighteenth  verse,  that  except  the 
dead  should  be  raised,  "they  also  which  are  fallen 
asleep  in  Christ  are  perished."  How  wonderful  the 
idea,  and  yet  how  reasonable  !  There  could  not 
be  a  thought  without  a  thinker  first;  and  evidently 
the  brain  is  the  thinker.  When  that  is  demolished 
by  death,  how  can  we  think  again  unless  we  are 
raised  from  the  dead  and  the  thinker  restored 
thereby?  Solomon  also  told  me  in  Ecclesiastes, 
ninth  chapter,  fifth  verse,  that  "the  living  know 
that  they  shall  die  :  but  the  dead  know  not  auj- 
t hi  fig." 

I  said  to  my  wife,  "That  is  the  plainest  thing  I 
ever  saw,  and  I  tell  you  I  will  work  a  revolution  in 
that  thing,  certain."  She  said,  "Maybe  not  so 
easily  as  you  think."  I  told  her  it  was  so  clear 
that  I  only  needed  to  preach  it,  and  everybody 
would  believe  it.     And  I  felt  sure  they  would. 

The  third  Sunday  in  that  month  I  had  to  preach 
for  my  old  grandfather,  who  was  then  one  hundred 
and  four  years  old.  He  lived  to  be  one  hundred 
and  eight  years  of  age,  and  as  long  as  he  lived 
after  I  began  to  preach,  I  had  to  preach  for  him  in 
his  home  about  once  in  three  months.     This  time 


FIRST   EXPERIENCE   IN   THE   MINISTRY.        65 

I  was  full  of  the  new  light,  and  of  course  had  to 
preach  it,  because  when  I  was  ordained  they 
charged  me  not  only  to  study  but  to  ''preach  the. 
Wordr 

There  was  a  large  crowd  out ;  among  them  were 
dear  old  Bro.  Castiller,  a  Missionary  Baptist  minis- 
ter, and  the  young  Methodist  Bro.  Bates  of  whom 
I  have  already  spoken.  I  read  for  a  text,  "  Blessed 
be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
which  according  to  his  abundant  mercy  hath  be- 
gotten us  again  unto  a  lively  hope  by  the  resurrec- 
tion of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead."  (i  Pet.  1:3.) 
By  quoting  about  seventy-five  passages  of  Script- 
ure I  thought  I  had  established,  to  the  satisfaction 
of  all  my  hearers,  the  doctrine  that  all  the  dead 
were  really  and  truly  dead.  When  I  was  through 
I  asked  Bro.  Castiller  to  close  the  meeting.  Im- 
agine my  surprise  when,  with  folded  arms  and  a 
determined  expression  on  his  face,  he  shook  his 
head  slowly  and  said,  in  a  very  positive  voice, 
"'No,  sir/''  I  had  never  met  a  cold  shoulder  be- 
fore, and  it  fell  like  a  wet  blanket  on  me.  I  then 
said,  "Bro.  Bates,  will  you?"  He  sang  a  hymn 
and  prayed,  but  made  no  further  remark. 

As  soon  as  the  benediction  was  pronounced  Bro. 
Castiller  came  to  me  where  I  stood  by  the  table, 
and  waved  his  fist  over  my  head  as  he  said, 
"Where    is    Moses,    sir?"     I    answered,  "I  don't 


66       AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

know  where  he  is."  I  was  young  in  the  cause  and 
was  not  at  all  posted  as  to  Moses'  case.  Said  he, 
*'Well,  sir,  he  is  in  heaven,  for  God  says  so  T 

I  had  to  walk  home  across  a  spur  of  the  Cum- 
berland Mountain,  about  two  miles,  alone.  Dur- 
ing that  journey  Satan  tackled  me  in  dead  earnest. 
Doubtless  he  thought  it  best  to  nip  the  doctrine  in 
the  bud  if  possible.  He  impressed  my  mind  with 
these  thoughts,  "Now  don't  you  think  you've  done 
something  smart?  You  stood  up  before  that  in- 
telligent audience  and  told  them  nobody  had  died 
and  gone  to  heaven,  and  now  there  is  Bro.  Cas- 
tiller,  who  knows  more  in  a  minute  than  you  ever 
will  know,  and  he  says  Moses  is  in  heaven  long 
ago."  Oh,  what  a  struggle  I  had  on  the  way.  I 
almost  wished  the  earth  would  open  and  swallow  me. 

Before  night,  as  I  afterward  heard,  the  news 
spread  over  the  community  that  I  was  deranged. 
Bro.  Bates  told  me,  that  as  he  rode  home  from  that 
meeting  in  company  with  others,  he  heard  a  man 
say  to  his  wife,  "Well,  John  is  crazy."  She  re- 
plied, "I  don't  think  so,  for  he  don't  talk  like  a 
crazy  man."  Her  husband  answered,  "No  man  in 
his  senses  can  quote  as  much  Scripture  as  John 
did  to-day." 

I  went  home  and,  taking  my  Concordance  and 
Bible,  I  soon  found  what  had  become  of  Moses. 
He  "died  in  the  land  of  Moab,  .  .  .  and  he  [God] 


FIRST    EXPERIENCE    IN   THE   MINISTRY.        6/ 

buried  him  in  a  valley  in  the  land  of  Moab,  over 
against  Bethpeor :  but  no  man  knoweth  of  his 
sepulchre  unto  this  day."  (Deut.  34:  5,6.)  I 
learned  also  that  Michael,  the  archangel,  and  the 
devil  had  a  dispute  about  the  body  of  Moses;  so 
I  thought  it  useless  for  us  to  wrangle  about  it.  I 
said  to  my  wife,  "  I  will  never  believe  what  another 
man  says  unless  I  see  it  in  the  Bible,  for  Bro.  Cas- 
tiller  said  that  Moses  had  gone  to  heaven,  when  I 
find  it  in  the  Bible  that  Moses  died,  and  God  buried 
him,  and  no  man  knoweth  of  his  sepulchre  to  this 
day." 

The  Adventists,  or  their  doctrine,  were  unknown, 
and  people  called  my  views  "the  Cargile  heresy." 
My  name  spread  rapidly  over  the  country  on  ac- 
count of  the  new  doctrine.  I  began  to  receive 
calls  from  places  where  I  had  no  idea  I  was  known 
or  even  heard  of. 

I  was  teaching  school  at  home  at  $50  per  month, 
and  when  the  calls  came  I  could  not  refuse.  Con- 
sequently I  gave  up  the  school  and  went  far  and 
near  to  answer  the  Macedonian  cry,  knowing  that 
the  Primitive  Baptists  did  not  believe  in  paying  a 
preacher ;  but  still  the  message  was  like  fire  in  my 
bones,  and  I  went  forth,  leaving  no  bridges  behind 
for  a  retreat. 

The  first  Sunday  in  November,  1871,  Bro.  John 
Polk,  a  Methodist  minister,  and  I  had  a  joint  ap- 


68        AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

pointment  on  Island  Creek,  across  the  Tennessee 
River,  Eld.  J.  J.  Smith,  a  Missionary  Baptist, 
whom  I  had  met  some  time  before,  was  at  the 
meeting,  and  we  three  ministers  went  to  Mr.  Eph- 
raim  Gross'  for  dinner.  The  Primitives  to  which 
I  belonged  were  called  "  Hardshells,"  "Iron  Jack- 
ets," "  Selfish,"  etc.  I  suppose  it  was  because  of  a 
suspicion  that  I  was  as  narrow  in  my  religion  as 
my  sect  was  thought  to  be,  that  Bro.  Smith  pre- 
ferred to  talk  to  the  Methodist  preacher  alone. 

After  a  private  interview  they  returned  to  where 
Esquire  Gross  and  myself  were  sitting  on  the  porch. 
Brb.  Polk  said,  "Bro.  Cargile,  a  man  and  woman 
are  up  in  Tennessee  with  a  tent,  preaching,  and  if 
they  are  invited  they  will  come  to  our  place  and 
preach.  But  if  I  invite  them,  and  they  come  and 
run  up  a  big  tent  and  the  people  ask,  'Who  did 
this?'  the  answer  will  be,  'John  Polk,'  and  I  can't 
bear  it  alone;  but  if  jv;/  will  join  me,  we  will 
say,  'Come.'"  I  said,  "Well,  I  don't  know  about 
that.  What  do  they  preach  ?"  He  answered,  "  Bro. 
Smith  has  been  up  and  heard  them,  and  he  can 
tell  you." 

Bro.  Smith  then  told  me  that  they  preached  a 
live,  holy  gospel,  and  heart  purity,  entire  conse- 
cration, etc.  I  then  said,  "Well,  Bro.  Polk,  you 
need  not  have  your  name  in  it;  but,  Bro.  Smith, 
you  can  tell  them  I  say,  'Conic.'''     To  my  aston- 


FIRST   EXPERIENCE   IN   THE   MINISTRY.        69 

ishment,  in  a  very  few  days  after  this,  I  received  a 
card  from  a  man,  signing  his  name  Hezekiah  Davis, 
telling  me  to  prepare  so  many  stakes  of  such  and 
such  lengths,  and  to  meet  him  with  conveyance  on 
such  a  day. 

My  father  took  an  ox  team  for  the  tent.  I  took 
a  pony  and  side-saddle  for  the  woman,  who  was 
introduced  to  me  as  "  Mrs.  Hastings,  of  Boston." 

As  I  had  to  go  away  to  my  meetings  that  day, 
I  went  with  them  to  my  father's,  where  they  had  a 
welcome.  I  returned  in  the  afternoon  and  found 
preparations  being  made  to  raise  the  tent.  Bro. 
Davis  wore  a  checked  flannel  shirt  and  little  blue 
quilted  hat,  and,  with  coat  off  and  sleeves  rolled 
up,  he  was  using  a  heavy  sledge  manfully,  driving 
stakes  and  fixing  poles  and  ropes  to  raise  the  do- 
mestic meeting-house.  It  was  something  new  in 
that  country,  and  crowds  stood  by  looking  on. 
As  I  came  on  to  the  ground  I  heard  one  man  say 
to  another,  "Is  that  the  preacher?"  alluding  to 
Bro.  Davis.  The  other  answered,  "No,  that  is  an 
Irishman  that  Mrs.  Hastings  has  along  to  wait  on 
her."  I  was  amused,  and  told  them  that  I  guessed 
he  was  one  of  the  preachers.  They  decided  that 
they  should  like  to  hear  a  man  preach  that  would 
work  that  way. 

The  tent  was  up  and  meetings  begun  Saturday 
afternoon.      I  felt  somewhat  peculiar  about  it.     I 


yo   AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  A.  CARGILE. 

omitted  my  own  meeting  for  Sunday,  which 
grieved  some  of  my  brethren.  I  did  not  know 
what  those  people  were,  or  what  they  believed,  but 
it  was  something  new  to  have  a  woman  preacher, 
and  I  wanted  to  hear.  They  kindly  invited  me  to 
take  part  in  the  meetings,  but  I  refused,  and  took 
my  seat  in  the  back  of  the  tent.  They  were  "wise  as 
serpents,  and  harmless  as  doves,"  for  they  preached 
twice  a  day  from  Saturday  till  Wednesday  without 
alluding  to  the  doctrines.  They  preached  a  con- 
verting and  transforming  gospel.  The  people  liked 
it.  I  had  been  converted,  and  I  believed  "once  in 
grace,"  never. more  out,  and  so  I  did  not  see  the 
need  of  being  so  very  particular  about  an  exact 
life. 

Wednesday  afternoon,  Sr.  Hastings  preached 
on  Spiritualism.  She  showed  it  up  in  its  true 
light,  as  the  doctrine  of  the  devil,  but  she  never 
said  a  word  about  any  other  doctrine  being  its 
foundation.  When  she  had  finished,  Bro.  Davis 
rose  in  the  desk  and  said,  "  I  cannot  forbear  one 
remark.  Spiritualism  is  built  on  the  supposition 
that  the  soul  of  man  is  immortal.  Not  one  word 
in  all  God's  Bible  says  so." 

I  was  still  in  the  rear  of  the  tent,  and  had  taken 
no  part  in  the  meetings.  I  thought  I  stood  alone 
in  the  world  in  regard  to  the  sleep  of  the  dead. 
The  words  were  scarcely  out  of  his  mouth  when 


FIRST   EXPERIENCE    IN   THE    MINISTRY.         Jl 

they  thrilled  me  like  a  shock  of  electricity.  I 
sprang  to  my  feet  involuntarily,  and  started  for 
the  desk  as  fast  as  I  could  through  the  dense  crowd. 
As  I  went,  I  said,  at  the  top  of  my  voice,  "  Praise 
God,  another  man  has  the  truth.  Brother,  God 
wants  me  to  talk  now."  Bro.  Davis  stepped  out  of 
that  pulpit  instantly,  and  as  he  went  he  said,  "  God 
help  you,  brother."  If  God  ever  did  help  a  poor 
boy  he  helped  me  then.  In  less  than  fifteen  min- 
utes many  were  in  tears.  Fourteen  came  trembling 
into  the  altar  crying  for  mercy. 

A  Methodist  minister,  who  is  to-day  one  of  my 
bitterest  persecutors,  prayed  a  wonderful  prayer. 
He  thanked  God  for  a  "Benjamin's  mess."  I  wish 
he  had  obtained  it,  for  it  would  have  kept  him 
sweet  till  now. 

The  news  spread  rapidly  that  "  Cargile's  doctrine 
is  a  rotten  Northern  heresy."  That  of  course  was 
a  terrible  stigma  in  our  country  at  that  time,  just 
after  the  close  of  the  war.  But  stigma  or  not,  my 
joy  was  inexpressible.  The  thought  that  I  was  not 
alone,  but  that  there  were  many  others  of  like 
precious  faith  in  the  North,  cheered  my  heart 
wonderfully.  I  had  adopted  the  doctrine  that  the 
dead  were  unconscious ;  but,  strange  as  it  seems 
to  me  now,  I  still  believed  in  the  eternal  torment 
of  the  finally  impenitent,  and  that  I  was  in  the 
kingdom. 


72        AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

That  was  a  grand  meeting.  People  came  from 
a  distance  of  thirty  miles  to  hear  the  "woman 
preacher."  Dear  Bro.  Davis  and  .Sr.  Hastings  may 
ever  praise  God  for  the  day  when  his  Holy  Spirit 
urged  them  to  "go  South."  During  their  meeting 
at  our  place  they  gave  me  light  on  the  kingdom 
and  the  coming  of  the  Lord.  I  still  clung  tena- 
ciously to  the  doctrine  of  eternal  torment,  and 
asked  Bro.  Davis  to  preach  on  that  subject  for  my 
own  satisfaction.  He  replied,  "I  don't  feel  it  my 
duty." 

They  left  our  place  and  went  to  Carpenter,  to 
begin  meetings  in  a  school-house,  for  the  tent  was 
wet  and  could  not  be  taken  down,  so  they  left  it 
to  dry. 

After  they  had  gone  I  became  restless.  I  said 
to  my  wife,  "  I  am  going  up  to  Carpenter  and  stay 
till  that  man  agrees  to  preach  on  the  destiny  of 
the  wicked."  "Yes,  and  peoj)le  will  say  that  you 
followed  those  Advents  off,"  was  her  reply.  I  said, 
"I  don't  care  what  people  say;  I  want  the  truth, 
and  I  am  willing  to  receive  it  from  anybody."  She 
said  if  I  was  determined  to  go,  that  she  would 
accompany  me,  and  we  could  both  hear  them 
preach.  That  pleased  me  wonderfully.  Bro.  Davis 
came  back  to  get  the  tent  the  same  day  that 
we  went.  Our  trains  passed  each  other  on  the 
way. 


FIRST   EXPERIENCE   IN   THE    MINISTRY.        73 

We  found  Sr.  Hastings  alone  with  the  meeting. 
I  helped  her  that  night  all  I  could.  Oh,  how  God 
did  use  that  dear  woman  among  that  people.  I 
heard  a  very  wealth}'  man  say,  after  she  had 
preached,  "Gentlemen,  something  is  going  to 
happen.  This  is  the  forerunner  of  it.  There  will 
come  a  famine,  pestilence,  or  the  end  of  the 
world.  No  weak,  sickly-looking  woman  like  that 
could  preach  as  she  does  unless  there  was  some- 
thing behind  it." 

Next  morning  when  Bro.  Davis  returned  I  said 
to  him,  "Now,  my  brother,  I  am  satisfied  on  every- 
thing but  the  destiny  of  the  wicked,  and  I  have 
followed  you  up  to  hear  you  on  that,  and  I  mean 
to  stay  till  you  preach  on  it."  He  bowed  his  head 
awhile,  as  if  in  deep  meditation,  and  I  presume  he 
prayed,  too.  After  several  minutes  he  said, "Well, 
the  Lord  help  me."  He  took  for  a  text,  "What 
shall  the  end  be  of  them  that  obey  not  the  gospel 
of  God?"  (i  Pet.  4:  17.)  What  an  array  of  proof 
texts  he  did  produce  ! 

Before  he  was  half  through  I  began  in  my  very 
heart  to  thank  God  that  he  was  not  such  an  awful 
tyrant  as  to  create  intelligent  beings  of  his  own 
will,  and  then  take  a  pleasure  in  seeing  them  roll 
forever  in  the  literal  flames  of  an  eternal  fire.  How 
wonderfully  my  views  of  God  were  changed  from 
a  terrible  tyrant  to  that  of  a  kind,  loving  and  mer- 


74   AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  A.  CARGILE. 

ciful  Father.     As  soon  as  the  sermon  was  over  I 
gave  him  my  hand,  saying,  "  I  am  an  Adventist  J'' 

And,  dear  reader,  I  love  that  name  still.  It  be- 
speaks a  people  looking  for  the  Lord  and  depend- 
ing wholly  on  that  event  for  salvation.  It  was  in 
these  meetings  that  I  became  better  acquainted 
with  Eld.  J.  J.  Smith,  of  whom  I  shall  have  occa- 
sion to  speak  more  in  succeeding  chapters.  Per- 
haps I  may  be  able  to  insert  a  link  in  this  chain 
from  his  own  pen.  In  after  years  Bro.  Davis  told 
me  of  a  conversation  between  Sr.  Hastings  and 
himself,  on  the  cars,  as  they  left  our  section  of  the 
country.  She  said,  "How  good  it  is  that  we  were 
led  to  go  to  Alabama,  to  lead  that  promising  young 
Baptist  preacher  out  into  the  whole  truth."  This 
is  about  what  she  said  in  substance  as  he  related  it 
to  me.  He  replied,  "You  are  badly  deceived  in 
that  young,  red-whiskered  preacher.  You  will  find 
out  after  we  are  gone  that  he  will  be  one  of  our 
worst  enemies." 

I  only  give  the  substance,  as  I  do  not  remember 
his  exact  words.  He  thought  because  I  had  red 
whiskers  and  a  florid  complexion  that  I  must  be 
wanting  in  firmness  and  ''  stickability."  He  may 
be  right  regarding  my  make-up  in  many  things. 
But  in  reference  to  God's  eternal  truth,  no  man 
can  afford  to  vacillate.  I  have  an  afifectionate, 
sympathetic   nature,   which   may  be  more  or   less 


FIRST   EXPERIENCE   IN   THE   MINISTRY.        75 

wrought  upon,  but  when  it  comes  to  God's  truth 
I  am  as  firm  as  a  rock.  I  confess  I  am  not  brave 
enough  to  shun  the  truth,  neglect  to  investigate 
impartially,  or  handle  the  word  of  God  deceit- 
fully, and  risk  the  consequences  of  the  coming 
judgment. 


CHAPTER   V. 

FURTHER  EXPERIENCES — CHURCH  TRIALS — JOIN- 
ING THE  ADVENTISTS — EXCLUSION  FROM  THE 
BAPTIST   CHURCH. 

The  year  1869  was  a  very  unfortunate  one  for 
me.  My  wife  had  been  sick  most  of  the  time,  and 
having  to  look  after  her  and  two  children,  I  had 
but  httle  time  to  work  on  my  farm.  The  land  was 
poor,  anyway,  but  then  it  was  a  year  during  which 
we  had  but  Httle  rain,  and  my  crops  were  almost 
an  entire  failure. 

What  a  terrible  trial  I  had !  I  was  in  poor 
health,  and  not  able  to  hire  myself  out  to  do  a 
decent  day's  work.  A  heavy  doctor's  bill  to  pay 
and  my  family  to  feed  and  clothe,  made  the  future 
as  dark  as  the  cloud  was  to  King  Pharaoh.  I  had 
started  in  life  resolved  to  pay  all  my  debts,  and 
now  the  devil  tried  me  sorely.  "  You  would  better 
think  no  more  about  preaching,  but  go  to  work  for 
money  to  pay  your  bills  and  support  your  family." 

In  the  early  spring  of  1870,  the  last  of  my  past 
year's  crop  was  consumed,  and  I  could  not  tell 
which  way   to   turn.      I    prayed    over   it   day   and 


FURTHER    EXPERIENCES,    ETC.  7/ 

night.  I  knew  the  Lord  called  me  to  preach,  and 
now  if  I  don't  pay  my  bills  my  reputation  will  be 
such  that  nobody  will  want  to  hear  me  preach. 
Added  to  this  was  the  thought  of  my  loved  ones 
being  in  want.  One  night  I  wept  upon  my  pillow, 
and  the  burden  of  my  cry  was,  "  O  Lord,  open  the 
way  for  me  to  pay  my  debts  and  live,  and  thus  save 
the  cause  from  reproach." 

I  know  not  how  long  I  prayed.      It  was  terribly 

dark.     I  was  that  night  staying  at  my  father's.     As 

I  prayed  the  dear  Lord  appeared  to  me  in  vision. 

He  seemed  to  linger  just  above  my  bed,  and  his 

lovely  face  was  so  bright  and   pleasant.     I  have 

seen  him  three  times  in  vision  when  I  was  wide 

awake,  praying,  and  once  in  my  dream  while  asleep. 

He  is  the  same  lovely  personage  every  time,  and 

T  believe  when  he  comes  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  I 

will  recognize  him.     This  time  of  which   I  speak 

he  said  not  a  word.      I  began  to   plead  with  him 

more  earnestly  for  an  answer  to  my  prayer.     He 

looked  on  me,   and   oh,  how  tenderly  he   greeted 

me  with  the  most  winning  smile  I  ever  saw.      How 

it  filled  my  soul  with  glory,  and  thrilled  every  fibre 

of  my  being  with  joy  unspeakable.      I  sprang  to  a 

sitting  posture  in   the  bed,   and  with  both  hands 

uplifted  to  him,  I  shouted  aloud,  "Blessed  be  thy 

holy  name  forever  !"     He  slowly  disappeared  from 

my  view,  smiling  all  the  while. 


78        AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

What  a  happy  night  I  passed  in  that  little  "upper 
room"  in  the  dear  old  brick  house.  I  told  my  wife 
next  day  that  the  Lord  had  assured  me  that  I  would 
come  out  all  right,  and  from  that  day  I  felt  no  more 
concern  about  my  debts. 

A  few  weeks  passed,  and  I  went  to  Scottsboro, 
Ala.,  at  the  time  the  Circuit  Court  was  being  held. 
I  was  standing  about  midway  of  the  court-room, 
which  was  closely  packed.  Hon.  David  Tate  was 
Judge  of  the  Probate  Court.  He  is  a  devoted  Chris- 
tian of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  I  was  a  Baptist 
preacher.  Coming  into  the  court-room,  he  pushed 
his  way  to  me.  He  touched  my  shoulder,  causing 
me  to  look  at  him,  then  nodded  and  walked  out. 
I  followed  close  at  his  heels.  When  around  the 
corner  of  the  court-house  he  said  to  me,  "Don't 
you  want  a  job?"  I  replied,  "Yes,  I  am  in  debt 
and  want  to  get  into  something  to  make  money 
honestly,  so  that  I  can  pay  my  debts."  He  stood 
a  few  moments  and  then  answered,  "The  census 
is  to  be  taken  this  year.  You  could  do  that,  could 
you  not?"  I  said,  "Yes,  I  always  accomplish  what- 
ever I  undertake ;  but  I  did  not  know  it  was  time 
to  take  it."  He  told  me  that  he  had  it  in  his  povyfer 
to  recommend  the  enumerators  for  our  county,  and 
felt  it  his  duty  to  have  me  appointed  one  of  them. 
I  thanked  him  and  returned  home. 

In   due  time   I  received   my  commission   from 


FURTHER    EXPERIENCES,    ETC.  79 

headquarters,  and  did  the  work,  going  part  of  the 
time  on  foot  till  the  crops  were  finished.  Then 
my  brother-in-law  kindly  loaned  me  his  horse. 
In  three  months  I  took  the  census  in  one-fourth 
of  the  county,  for  which  I  received  three  hundred 
and  fifteen  dollars.  I  had  sufficient  money  to  pay 
all  my  debts  and  buy  family  supplies  for  the  year 
to  come. 

All  this  I  considered  the  Lord's  work  in  answer 
to  prayer.  We  need  to  be  well  acquainted  with 
the  Lord  and  live  in  the  sphere  provided  for  us, 
and  then  when  we  knock  at  heaven's  door,  we 
invariably  find  a  way  opened  for  us, — sometimes 
in  a  way  we  had  not  thought  of.  God  can  always 
be  depended  upon  by  his  people.  I  do  not  won- 
der that  infidels  and  skeptics  deride  and  vilify 
such  things,  but  the  reason  evidently  is  because 
they  are  not  acquainted  with  our  precious  Jesus 
and  his  merciful,  loving  Father. 

While  taking  the  census  I  preached  nights  and 
Sundays  as  the  way  opened.  One  day  my  father, 
seeing  that  I  kept  on  trying  to  preach,  said  to  mc. 
"John,  are  you  going  to  try  to  preach?"  He  had 
called  me  into  his  sitting-room,  where  we  were 
alone.  I  said,  "Yes,  father,  it  looks  as  though  I 
shall  have  to,  for  I  cannot  be  satisfied  without  it." 
He  was  a  plain,  matter-of-fact  man,  and  always 
spoke  his   mind.      Looking  me    in   the   face  very 


8o       AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

seriously,  he  said,  "Why,  j/^;/  never  can  preach." 
I  asked  him,  "Why  not?"  Imagine  my  feelings, 
if  you  can,  when  he  spoke  very  positively,  saying, 
"There  are  two  reasons:  in  the  first  place,  you've 
not  ability  enough  ;  and,  in  the  second,  you  would 
die  of  consumption.  Why,  just  think  about  it, 
3'ou  can't  hoe,  or  chop  half  a  day  without  your 
lungs  bleeding  frightfully."  That  indeed  was  cold 
comfort.  But,  live  or  die,  it  was  a  settled  fact 
with  me  now  that  I  must  preach,  and  I  kept  on 
trying. 

One  Sunday  morning  soon  after  I  was  ordained 
I  baptized  my  first  candidate  on  short  notice. 
There  were  two  preachers  in  the  colored  Baptist 
Church  in  town.  One  of  them  aspired  to  be  the 
pastor,  but  the  church  elected  the  other,  whose 
name  was  Samuel  Smith.  The  aspirant  claimed 
that  Bro.  Smith's  baptism  could  not  be  proven  to 
have  been  by  a  Baptist,  as  he  was  baptized  before 
the  war,  and  belonged  to  a  church  with  his  owner 
in  another  State.  To  settle  the  matter,  a  com- 
mittee of  his  brethren  came  with  him  and  he  de- 
manded baptism  at  my  hands,  and  I  baptized  him. 

In  July,  1872,  I  had  a  two  days'  debate  with 
Bro.  Jones,  of  the  Christian  Church,  on  the  subject 
of  the  kingdom  and  the  nature  of  man.  As  an 
evidence  of  my  success,  I  baptized  six  persons  be- 
fore I  left,  and  took  them  into  the  Baptist  Church, 


FURTHER    EXPERIENCES.    ETC.  8 1 

although  I  was  contending  for  tlic  same  v^ews  I 
now  hold.  As  another  proof  of  victory  on  my 
side,  Bro.  Allison  informed  me  that  they  did  not 
consider  Bro.  Jones  a  representative  man,  and  he 
proposed  to  meet  me  in  discussion  himself. 

That  was  my  first  debate,  held  where  Shilo 
Church  now  stands,  on  Sand  Mountain,  in  Dekalk 
Co.,  Ala.  I  told  Bro  Allison  that  I  was  not  able 
to  meet  him.  Soon  he  wrote  me,  urging  the  de- 
bate. I  replied,  that  he  had  the  advantage  of  me 
in  age,  experience  and  education,  and  that  I  was 
afraid  to  meet  him.  By  and  b)'  he  came  to  my 
house  and  challenged  me  again. 

I  could  not  refuse  any  more.  We  met  at  Ander- 
son, Tenn.,  in  February,  and  spent  four  da)'s  in  a 
lively  debate.  He  afterward  sold  his  farm  and  left 
the  country,  and  I  heard  that  he  was  preaching 
the  same  things  that  I  defended  in  the  discus- 
sions. I  do  not  know  that  this  is  true,  but  I 
hope  it  is. 

I  belonged  to  the  Sequatchie  Association,  which 
met  at  Carpenter,  Ala.,  in  1 872,  and  at  that  meeting 
Bro.  Lancaster  and  myself  disagreed.  Then  I  went 
to  Fairfield,  Tenn.,  to  the  meeting  of  Elk  River 
Asssociation.  There  Dr.  Fain,  of  Nashville,  pro- 
posed to  tear  me  up  and  make  me  over  again.  I 
told  him  if  he  thought  he  could  make  me  any  better, 
he  could  pitch  in  when  it  suited  him.     These  things 


82        AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A,    CARGILE. 

were  scattered  among  the  brethren  at  those  two 
annual  gatherings,  and  carried  in  every  direction. 
We  heard  that  Mud  Creek  Association  had  ap- 
pointed a  committee  of  five  to  visit  us  at  the  next 
meeting  of  Sequatchie  Association  to  inquire  into 
the  nature  of  the  "  Cargile  heresy." 

Uncle  Sam  Beene  was  Moderator  of  the  Associa- 
tion, and  he  came  to  my  house  and  said  that  with- 
out an  investigation  previously  the  Association 
would  be  unable  to  answer  any  questions ;  and  now, 
said  he,  "I  propose  that  we  call  a  special  meeting 
and  invite  that  Mud  Creek  committee  to  be  pres- 
ent, and  that  you  preach  a  sermon  on  every  point 
whereon  we  differ,  and  let  me  criticize  you."  I 
said,  "Then  will  you  let  me  reply  to  your  criti- 
cism?" He  replied,  "Yes ;  and  you  can  have  as 
much  time  as  you  want."  That  pleased  me  won- 
derfully. I  had  told  my  brethren  at  New  Hope 
and  Salem  Churches  that  trouble  was  coming,  and 
that  they  had  better  lay  me  aside  and  call  some- 
body else  to  preach  for  them.  The  first  time  I 
mentioned  it,  they  said,  "We  will  hear  you  before 
we  pass  judgment."  After  they  had  heard  me 
nearly  six  months  more  I  spoke  to  them  again 
about  it ;  and  they  said,  "We  will  consult  and  give 
you  an  answer  to-morrow." 

Next  morning  two  deacons  met  me  at  Salem  and 
said,  "We  have  decided  that  you  preach  the  truth, 


FURTHER    EXPERIENCES,    ETC.  83 

and  we  are  going  to  stick  to  you,"  New  Hope 
said  the  same  in  Conference.  I  told  them  the  fire 
was  coming  to  try  their  souls.  They  said,  "  Let  it 
come ;  we  will  stand."  I  felt  blessed  indeed  to 
have  two  churches  stand  with  me  in  defense  of 
truth. 

The  time  for  the  trial  was  set  for  New  Hope 
Church  in  February,  1873.  We  met  according  to 
arrangement.  A  wonderful  audience  was  present, 
among  them  about  one  hundred  Primitive  Baptists, 
and  one  Dr.  R.  Newton,  an  educated  Frenchman, 
a  dentist,  and  a  Missionary  Baptist  preacher  of 
reputed  ability.  Uncle  Sam  Beene  requested  the 
celebrated  D.  D.  to  criticise  me  on  trial,  but  he 
refused,  saying,  he  was  only  there  to  listen.  I 
called  for  the  charge  against  me,  and  learned  that 
I  was  accused  of  "preaching  doctrines  contrary  to 
Baptist  usage."  I  said,  "Brethren,  I  plead  guilty; 
but  if  you  say  contrary  to  God's  Word,  we  are  here 
to  see  about  it."  The  trial  lasted  three  days,  and, 
as  the  people  said,  "John  and  Uncle  Sam  had  it  hot 
and  heavy."  But  I  am  glad  to  say  it  was  all  sweet 
and  lovely.  At  the  close  of  the  discussion  I  asked 
all  Baptists  present  who  could  not  fellowship  me  in 
the  Association  to  rise.  Only  five  arose,  and  none 
of  these  were  members  of  my  churches  or  Associa- 
tion. But  as  visitors  they  could  cause  trouble.  I 
then  said,  "  I  now  declare  myself  no  longer  a  Bap- 


84   AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  A.  CARGILE. 

list,  and  when  your  Association  meets  you  won't 
have  Cargile  or  his  doctrine  to  bother  you." 

My  New  Hope  and  Salem  brethren  wept  as 
though  their  hearts  were  broken ;  but  having  all 
confidence  in  their  firmness  to  make  their  words 
true,  I  expected,  of  course,  that  our  separation 
would  be  of  short  duration.  But  what  think  you, 
dear  reader?  They  went  back  like  a  gopher  going 
into  his  hole.  Onl}'  a  few  of  them  ever  came  over 
to  the  truths  that  I  love  so  well. 

Bro.  Hezekiah  Davis  was  South  at  the  time, 
having  stayed  three  months  over  his  expected 
time  to  be  with  me  at  the  trial.  The  next  week 
after  my  trial  was  over.  Dr.  Newton  began  a 
reviewal  of  my  sermons  in  a  series  of  six  lectures. 
I  pleaded  in  vain  for  a  division  of  time.  But  I 
took  notes  and  published  my  reply  in  a  pamphlet 
of  thirty-six  pages.  I  sent  him  three  copies  of  it. 
He  afterward  stopped  over  night  with  me,  and  I 
asked  him  what  he  thought  of  it.  He  replied, 
"  Oh,  well,  I  reckon  they  did  not  use  up  all  the 
type."  I  told  him  there  was  plent}'  of  type  left, 
and  he  could  crack  his  whip  when  he  got  ready ; 
I  only  asked  him  to  send  me  a  copy,  and  h^  would 
surely  hear  from  me  again.  But  he  never  made 
the  effort. 

By  the  assistance  of  Eld.  I.  C.  Wellcome,  of 
Yarmouth,  Me.,  I   have   been  enabled   to  scatter 


FURTHER   EXPERIENCES,    ETC.  85 

several  thousands  of  the  httle  pamphlet,  which 
I  called  Truth  and  Error  Contrasted.  I  give  it 
with  an  introduction,  mostly  from  a  secular  paper 
whose  editor  was  a  Missionary  Baptist.  It  is  as 
follows : 

INTRODUCTION. 

The  following  pages  would  never  have  been 
written  had  the  writer  been  permitted  to  reply  to 
the  assaults  made  by  Eld.  Newton,  who  was  pres- 
ent at  the  trial  for  preaching  heresy,  and  was  re- 
quested to  criticise  the  sermons  of  the  writer,  but 
refused  to  do  so.  And  after  taking  notes  till  the 
trial  was  over,  then  attempted  to  tear  down  the 
truth  and  leave  without  allowing  me  a  chance  to 
defend  it. 

We  took  notes  of  his  sermons  and  requested  the 
privilege  to  reply,  which  was  not  granted,  and  for 
the  good  of  the  cause  of  God's  truth,  which  we 
love  in  its  purity,  we  offer  this  little  work  to  those 
who  heard  Dr.  Newton,  and  any  other  searchers 
after  truth  into  whose  hands  it  may  fall,  and  not 
to  "idiots  who  cannot,  and  bigots  who  will  not 
think"  for  themselves. 

The  following  article,  clipped  from  the  Stevenson 
(Ala.)  New  Era,  will  give  the  reader  some  idea  of 
the  trials  we  have  undergone  for  the  sake  of  God's 
truth : 

"Shortly  after  the  war  a  ripple  of  excitement 
blew  over  the  religious  waters  in  this  section,  caused 
by  some   religious   tracts   circulating,   which    pro- 


S6       AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

claimed  the  speedy  coming  of  the  Saviour  to  earth. 
Soon  after  this  Adventism  began  to  be  preached. 
A  worthy  Baptist  minister,  Rev.  J.  J.  Smith,  being 
among  its  earliest  advocates,  obtaining  thereby  the 
title  of  'Prophet  Smith.'  The  dreams  of  Daniel 
and  the  mysteries  of  the  Book  of  Revelation  were 
simplified  and  explained  to  a  nicety.  Tracts  almost 
innumerable,  and  religious  papers,  edited  by  brill- 
iant and  emphatic  rhetoricians,  well  versed  in  the 
Scriptures,  were  in  every  household  ;  some  clearly 
proving  the  Pope  to  be  the  antichrist.  The  inter- 
est ebbed  and  flowed,  sometimes  almost  flowing 
out  of  sight  or  mention. 

"About  a  year  ago  Rev.  Hezekiah  Davis  came, 
with  a  lady  preacher,  Mrs.  Hattie  B.  Hastings,  who 
revived  things  wonderfully.  Coming  as  they  did, 
with  a  large  tent,  called  Bethel,  in  which  they 
preached  and  distributed  tracts  and  papers  to  all, 
black  and  white,  they  drew  crowds ;  and  then,  too, 
they  came  from  the  mother  of  righteous  wisdom — 
Massachusetts,  even  from  her  most  promising 
daughter,  Boston.  They  gave  prominence  to  doc- 
trines which  had  heretofore  crept  along  with 
Adventism  almost  concealed,  as  it  were.  These 
doctrines  were  the  'non-immortality  of  the  soul,' 
'soul-sleeping,'  and  the  'non-eternity  of  the  pun- 
ishment of  the  wicked.'  Despite  bad  weather  they 
drew  crowds.  After  them  came  Rev.  William 
Sheldon,  of  Wisconsin,  who  was  many  heads  and 
shoulders  above  his  predecessors.  He  was  a 
scholar  as  well  as  an  orator,  and  a  man  of  decided 
ability. 

"Recently,  Rev,  John  A,  Cargile,  native  Ala- 


FURTHER    EXPERIENCES,    ETC.  8/ 

bamian,  a  worthy  son  of  a  worthy  farmer  of  Jackson 
County,  became  a  prominent  proclaimer  of  these 
doctrines,  having  two  debates  with  different  minis- 
ters, and  finally  withdrawing  from  the  fellowship 
of  the  Primitive  Baptist  Church.  Last  Saturday, 
according  to  announcement.  Rev.  Dr.  Newton,  of 
Bledsoe  Co.,  Tenn.,  began  at  Bolivar  to  deliver  a 
series  of  lectures,  critically  examining  these  latter 
doctrines.  He  spoke  to  crowded  houses  each  time. 
His  effort  on  Sunday  was  forcible,  vehement,  and 
sweeping,  taking  each  proposition  and  driving  it 
to  its  ending — materialism,  and  withering  it  with 
scriptural  scorn,  occasionally  rounding  up  with 
ridicule,  rather  irreverential.  The  crowd  was  more 
than  an  average  congregation  in  intelligence  and 
in  the  attention  they  gave.  His  lectures  ended 
Sunday  night.  Many  are  yet  unshaken  in  their 
new  belief,  and  various  opinions  were  expressed, 
such  as:  'Oh,  but  didn't  he  score  'em!'  'He's 
too  old  for  John.'  'Well,  he  tore  things  up  con- 
siderably.' Others  :  '  Now  he  thinks  he  knows  it 
all.'  'Why  don't  he  show  it  from  the  Bible?'  '  He 
didn't  move  John  at  all.'  The  John  referred  to  is 
Rev.  John  A.  Cargile,  who  wanted  time  divided, 
and  who  will  probably  review  his  reviewer  some 
day." 

The  same  editor  in  another  note  says : 
"A  few  Sundays  ago,  in  fact,  the  Sunday  on 
which  Dr.  Newton  preached  at  New  Hope  Church, 
near  Boliver,  old  Father  Douthitt  called  the  church 
together  in  Conference  to  consider  the  case  of  their 
late  pastor.  Rev.  John  A.  Cargile.  Ten  members 
were  present  in  the  Conference.     A  Bro.  Stewart 


88        AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

moved  that  Bro.  Cargile's  withdrawal  be  recognized 
by  the  Conference.  After  a  speech  by  Father 
Douthitt  this  motion  was  changed  to  a  vote  of 
expulsion,  and  Rev.  Cargile  was  expelled,  six  vot- 
ing in  favor  of  the  motion  and  four  declining  to 
vote.  Mr.  Cargile  was,  at  the  time  of  expulsion, 
a  member  and  pastor  of  a  church  near  Ooltewah, 
East  Tennessee." 

In  consideration  of  these  facts  the  author  offers 
the  following  review  to  the  public,  hoping  thereby 
to  defend  the  truth  and  glorify  God. 

J.  A.  Cargile. 

Stevenson,  Ala.,  July  21,  i8yj. 


TRUTH  AND  ERROR  CONTRASTED. 

SERMON    I. 

On  the  fourth  Sabbath  in  February,  1873,  at 
two  o'clock,  P.  M.,  and  immediately  after  the  close 
of  the  investigation  of  the  author's  views  by  the 
Baptist  Church  at  New  Hope,  near  Stevenson,  Ala., 
Eld.  Newton  said  : 

I.  "We  should  be  careful  about  the  application  of  lan- 
guage, and  especially  in  the  Bible,  where  the  same  word  has 
often  different  meanings.  I  would  recommend  that  all  Bible 
students  study  some  good  work  on  the  rules  of  language. 
The  best  that  I  know  at  present  is  Horrie's  Introduction  to 
the  Rules  of  Language  and  Biblical  Interpretation.  Then  we 
shall  be  prepared  to  understand  the  language  of  the  Bible." 


FURTHER   EXPERIENCES,    ETC.  89 

Reply. — We  would  feel  sad  indeed  could  we  be- 
lieve that  "words  in  the  Bible  have  so  many  differ- 
ent meanings,"  for  when  we  approach  our  fellow- 
men  and  ask  their  views  on  a  single  passage, 
doubtless  twenty  men  would  have  as  many  opin- 
ions, and  if  words  in  the  Bible  have  so  many  differ- 
ent meanings,  they  would  probably  all  be  right, 
each  one  having  given  one  of  the  meanings.  Then 
why  exhort  God's  children  to  "be  of  one  mind"? 
And  what  will  poor  men  like  the  writer,  and  many 
others  do,  who  are  unable  to  distinguish  between  a 
right  definition  and  a  wrong  one?  When  so  many 
men  give  their  own  opinions  and  differ  so  widely, 
what  shall  we  do  but  conclude  that  God's  Word  is 
sealed,  or  else  take  the  position  that  there  is  no 
ambiguity  in  the  Scriptures,  that  the  Bible  is  God's 
revealed  will  to  man,  which  we  are  commanded  to 
search?  The  latter,  we  think,  is  the  more  reason- 
able, from  the  fact  that  Eld.  Newton,  or  any  one 
else,  notwithstanding  their  having  studied  Home's 
Introduction,  is  unable  to  explain  what  God  has 
not  revealed  to  us.  Then  we  take  the  Word  as  it 
stands,  except  in  parables  and  allegories. 

II.     Eld.  Newton  said,  on  Matt.  10:  28: 
•   "  'And  fear  not  them  which  kill  the  body,  but-  are  not  able 
to  kill  the  soul.'     Man  may  kill  the  body,  but  the  spirit  cafi- 
not  be  killed,  for  God  here  declares  that  man  is  not  able  to 
kill  it." 


90   AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  A.  CARGILE. 

Reply. — It  may  be  true  that  man  is  not  able  to 
kill  the  soul  here  alluded  to,  but  let  us  finish  the 
verse:  "But  rather  fear  him  which  is  able  to  de- 
stroy both  soul  and  body  in  hell."  Since  it  is  clear 
that  anything  immortal  is  not  susceptible  of  chang- 
ing, it  follows  as  a  matter  of  course  that  it  is  inde- 
structible, which  cannot  be  true  of  the  soul  here 
spoken  of,  for  the  emphatic  declaration  is  to  "fear 
him  which  is  able  to  destroy"  it.  Hence  it  follows 
that  if  God  can  destroy  the  soul,  it  is  not  immortal. 
And  we  would  ask.  Why  confound  the  word  soul 
and  spirit?  for  we  know  they  do  not  mean  the 
same  thing,  which  our  Bro.  Newton  ought  to 
know,  for  he  is  a  man  of  "much  learning."  We 
here  give  the  reading  of  the  Emphatic  Diaglott,  a 
word  for  word  translation  :  "  Be  not  afraid  of  those 
who  kill  the  body,  but  cannot  destroy  the  [future] 
life,  but  rather  fear  him  who  can  utterly  destroy 
both  life  and  \>o^y  \v\.  geJiemia  [hell]."  Thus  we 
see  not  a  word  said  about  the  immortality  of  the 
soul. 

III.  "The  Advent  friends  say  that  the  immortality  of  the 
soul  is  not  taught  in  the  Bible  ;  we  admit  it.  Neither  is  the 
existence  of  God  taught  in  the  Bible  —  not  one  argument  in 
the  whole  Bible  that  God  exists.'' 

Reply. — We  feel  thankful  to  hear  our  brother 
admit  that  the  immortality  of  the  soul  is  not  taught 
in  the  Bible,  whicii  is  the  great  reason  we  urge  for 


FURTHER   EXPERIENCES,    ETC.  9 1 

rejecting  the  doctrine.  Now  if  we  can  prove  by 
the  Bible  the  existence  of  God,  will  the  venerable 
D.  D.  still  claim  it  is  not  taught  there?  Let  us 
see:  Isa.  45  :  22,  "/  am  God,  and  there  is  none 
else!'  Also,  Isa.  46 :  9,  "  Remember  the  former 
things  of  old  :  for  I  am  God,  and  there  is  none  else  ; 
I  am  God,  and  there  is  none  like  nieT  See  again, 
Hos.  11:9,  "For  I  am  God,  and  not  man."  Mark 
12:  32,  *' There  is  one  God."  We  might  add 
many  more  passages  plainly  teaching  that  God 
exists.  Show  us  one  passage  in  the  whole  Bible 
teaching  as  plainly  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  and 
we  promise  to  yield  the  point.  But  we  have  no 
fear  of  any  one  doing  so,  for  we  know  the  words 
immortal  soul,  never-dying  soul,  disembodied  soul, 
appear  in  the  whole  Bible  —  not  one  time. 

IV.  "The  soul  is  made  in  the  image  and  likeness  of  God, 
and  on  the  rational  soul  of  man  God  stamped  his  image." 

Reply. — Let  us  see  how  these  assertions  agree 
with  God's  Word:  "And  God  said  let  us  make 
man  in  our  image,  after  our  likeness."  (Gen.  i  : 
26.)  What  was  it  God  desired  to  make  in  his  own 
"image"  and  "likeness"?  Inspiration  answers. 
The  man:  "And  the  Lord  God  formed  maji  of 
the  dust  of  the  grojind^  (Gen.  2:  7.)  The 
very  being  God  wanted  to  bear  his  image  he 
formed  "of  the  dust  of  the  (ground''     Are  immor- 


92       AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

tal  souls  made  of  dust?  If  so,  they  return  to  dust 
again.  Please  note  the  contrast:  Eld.  Newton 
says,  "the  sojil  of  man  is  made  in  the  image  of 
God,"  but  God  says  he  made  the  ''man  in  his 
own  image,"  and  that,  too,  "of  the  dust  of  the 
ground^     How  clear  ! 

V.  "The  doctrine  of  immortality  cannot  be  defaced.  We 
know  that  no  man  has  it  in  the  highest  sense  like  God  him- 
self, but  it  is  a  part  of  every  man's  conscience  that  he  sur- 
vives the  stroke  of  death.  My  Bro.  Cargile  said,  on  his  trial 
here,  that  the  Egyptians  first  taught  the  immortality  of  the 
soul,  but  he  is  very  much  mistaken.  The  Patriarchs  first 
taught  it,  and  the  Egyptians  perverted  it." 

Reply. — If  the  immortality  of  the  soul  is  a  Bible 
doctrine  there  is  no  danger  of  defacing  it,  but  if  it 
is  one  of  the  "doctrines"  or  "commandments  of 
men"  it  imist  fall  before  the  power  of  God's  truth. 
We  have  searched  diligently  for  it  in  the  Scriptures, 
but  failed  to  find  it.  Hence,  we  are  forced  to 
conclude,  it  is  "of  men."  It  will  never  do  to 
follow  conscience  only  so  far  as  it  leads  in  har- 
mony with  the  Bible,  for  the  Egyptian  knew  noth- 
ing of  the  Bible,  and  his  conscience  led  him  to 
believe  "that  on  the  dissolution  of  the  body  the 
soul  entered  some  other  animal."  {^Qiiery,  Did 
his  conscience  lead  him  correctly?)  While  we 
challenge  Dr.  Newton  to  prove  by  otie  passage  in 
the  Bible  that  the  Patriarchs  first  taught  it,  we  here 


FURTHER    EXPERIENCES,    ETC.  93 

g\ve  a  few  extracts  from  ancient  writers  to  prove 
that  the  Egyptians  did  first  teach  the  doctrine  of 
the  immortality  of  the  soul.  Herodotus,  who 
flourished  as  a  writer  about  five  hundred  years 
before  Christ,  says:  "The  Egyptians  are  t/ie  first 
of  mankind  who  have  defended  the  doctrine  of  the 
immortality  of  the  soul.  They  [the  Egyptians] 
believed  that  on  the  dissolution  of  the  body  the 
soul  entered  some  other  animal,  and  in  harmony 
with  that  faith  they  regarded  as  sacred  and  objects 
of  worship,  cats,  dogs,  rats,  and  crocodiles,  because 
they  supposed  them  to  be  receptacles  of  immor- 
tal souls.  And  if  a  house  was  on  fire  the  father 
of  a  family  would  take  more  pains  to  save  a  cat 
than  his  wife  and  children."  See  where  conscience 
led  them  in  the  absence  of  divine  truth  upon  which 
to  predicate  their  faith.  Bunsen  says  :  "  The  Egyp- 
tians were  the  first  who  taught  the  immortality  of 
the  soul,  a  fact  mentioned  by  all  Greek  writers 
from  Herodotus  down  to  Aristotle." 

We  think  enough  has  been  given  to  show  that 
the  Egyptians  did  first  teach  it,  and  we  are  willing 
to  leave  the  candid  reader  to  settle  his  faith  on  the 
testimony  given  above.  We  cannot  see  on  the 
bare  word  of  Eld.  Newton  how  there  can  be  de- 
grees of  immortality  so  as  to  enable  God  and  man 
to  possess  it  in  highest  or  lowest  senses.  There- 
fore  we  are    forced    to  believe   Paul,  who,   when 


94       AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

speakingof  Christ,  says,   "Who  only  hath  immor- 
tality."    (i  Tim.  6:    i6.) 

VI.  "  The  Advent  friends  will  have  an  up-hill  business  to 
prove  that  the  dead  are  unconscious,  and  they  will  not  ac- 
complish much  by  the  effort." 

Reply. — If  the  unconscious  state  of  the  dead  is 
a  Bible  truth  it  will  not  be  hard  to  establish  the 
fact.  Let  us  see  if  the  Bible  will  sustain  the  doc- 
trine that  "the  dead  know  not  anything":  "For 
the  living  know  that  they  shall  die  :  but  the  dead 
know  not  anything.  .  .  .  Also  their  love,  and  their 
hatred,  and  their  envy,  is  now  perished."  (Eccl.  9  : 
5,6.  Also  verse  10:  "Whatsoever  thy  hand 
findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy  might."  Why? 
Answer:  "For  there  is  no  ivork,  nor  device,  nor 
knowledge,  nor  wisdom,  in  the  grave  \_sheol — 
hades  —  the  receptacle  of  the  dead],  whither  thou 
goest."  What  can  be  plainer  than  this.  Solomon 
would  admonish  to  active  duty  while  we  live, 
assuring  us  that  in  death  nothing  caji  be  known. 
He  also  says  that  in  death  "that  which  befalleth 
the  sons  of  men  befalleth  beasts  ;  as  the  one  dieth, 
so  dieth  the  other ;  yea,  they  have  all  one  breath 
[spirit  or  element  of  life]  ;  so  that  [in  death]  a 
man  hath  no  pre-eminence  above  a  beast."  (Eccl.  3  : 
19.)  It  seems  to  us  that,  after  reading  such  pos- 
itive declarations  of  the  wise  man,  no  one  should 


FURTHER    EXPERIENCES,    ETC.  95 

doubt  the  unconscious  state  of  the  dead.  But  we 
will  refer  the  reader  to  a  few  more  of  the  many 
passages  on  this  point,  praying  that  the  diligent 
searcher  for  truth  may  investigate  and  come  to  the 
"light,"  and  live  rejoicing  in  "hope  of  the  prom- 
ise made  of  God  unto  our  fathers."  (See  Acts 
26:  6.)  Please  examine  closely  the  following 
texts:  Job  14:  10,  12;  17:  13-16;  Psa.  6:  5; 
104:  29;  115:  17,  and  146:  4.  If  the  Bible  is 
to  be  received  as  a  lawful  witness  on  this  point,  it 
is  no  "up-hill  business"  to  prove  our  position. 
But  we  think  that  Eld.  Newton,  or  any  one  else, 
will  not  find  it  an  easy  matter  to  prove  the  con- 
trary in  the  face  of  so  much  Bible  truth. 

VII.  "The  word  hades  means  the  unknown;  we  know 
nothing  about  what  it  is,  or  where  it  is,  or  what  it  contains. 
We  have  no  revelation  of  it  whatever." 

Reply. — Then  why  make  so  much  ado  about  its 
being  a  place  of  torment?  We  sincerely  hope  our 
venerable  brother  will  not  pervert  the  definition  he 
has  given  us  of  hades ;  it  will  save  him  much  use- 
less "quibbling"  when  we  come  to  the  subject  of 
future  punishment. 

VIII.  "Paul  plainly  taught  the  immortality  of  the  soul, 
and  the  conscious  state  of  the  dead,  by  his  language  in  2  Cor. 
5  :  6-8,  '  Therefore  we  are  always  confident,  knowing  that 
whilst  we  are  at  home  in  the  body  we  are  absent  from  the 
Lord.  .  ,  .  We  are  confident,  I  say,  and  willing  rather  to  be 


gG       AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

absent  from  the  l>ody  and  present  with  the  Lord.'  It  must 
be  a  daring  7natt  who  will  openly  declare  the  soul  not  immor- 
tal after  Feading  Paul's  testimony  on  this  point.  I  wonder 
how  the  Advent  friends  would  crawl  around  this  point?" 

Reply. — If  Paul  meant  to  teach  the  immortality 
of  the  soul  by  these  verses  quoted  by  Eld.  Newton, 
he  surely  will  tell  us  so  in  the  context.  Let  us 
carefully  read  him  and  learn  whether  he  agrees 
with  Eld.  Newton  or  with  the  "daring  man"  who 
opposes  him.  Begin  at  verse  i  :  "  For  we  know 
that,  if  our  earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle  were 
dissolved,  we  have  a  building  of  God,  an  house 
not  made  with  hands,  eternal  (not  eternally,  as 
some  say)  in  the  heavens."  Paul,  why  do  you 
tell  us  this?  Answer:  "For  in  this  we  groan, 
earnestly  desiring  to  be  clothed  upon."  Why, 
Paul?  Answer:  "That  mortality  (not  immor- 
tality) might  be  swallowed  up  of  life."  Paul  did 
not  wish  to  be  "  unclothed,"  lest  he  be  found 
naked.  "Therefore  we  are  always  confident, 
knowing  that,  whilst  we  are  at  home  in  the  (mor- 
tal) body  we  are  absent  from  the  Lord.  (For  we 
walk  by  faith,  not  by  sight.)  We  are  confident, 
I  say,  and  willing  rather  to  be  absent  from  the 
(mortal)  body,  and  present  with  the  Lord  (in  im- 
mortality)." But  when  did  Paul  expect  to  be 
"clothed  upon"  with  his  "house  which  is  from 
heaven"?     For  he  says  he    did  not  desire  to  be 


FURTHER    EXPERIENCES.    ETC.  9/ 

"unclothed."  Let  him  answer  for  himself,  for  he 
is  capable,  being  expert  in  all  the  doctrines  of 
Christ.  "For  I  am  now  ready  to  be  offered,  and 
the  time  of  my  departure  [death]  is  at  hand.  ,  .  . 
Henceforth  [from  the  time  I  am  offered]  there  is 
laid  tip  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness,  which  the 
Lord,  the  righteous  judge,  shall  give  me  (not  at 
the  time  I  am  offered,  but)  at  that  day!'  (2  Tim. 
4:  6-8.)  "For  ye  are  dead  [subject  to  death] 
and  your  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God.  When 
Christ,  who  is  our  life  shall  appear,  then  shall  ye 
also  appear  with  him  in  glory."  (Col.  3  :  3,  4.) 
Being  then  clothed  with  our  house  from  heaven — 
immortality.  "For  our  conversation  [citizenship] 
is  in  heaven,  from  whence  also  we  look  for  the 
Saviour,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Who  shall  change 
our  vile  body  that  it  may  be  fashioned  like  unto 
his  glorious  body."  (Phil.  3  :  20,21.)  "For  if 
we  believe  that  Jesus  died  and  rose  again,  even  so 
[in  like  manner  —  in  immortality]  them  also  which 
sleep  in  Jesus  will  God  bring  with  him.  .  .  .  For 
the  Lord  himself  shall  descend  from  heaven,  .  .  . 
the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first.  Then  we  which 
are  alive  and  remain  shall  be  caught  up  together 
with  them  in  the  clouds  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the 
air;  and  so  shall  we  ever  be  with  the  Lord."  (i 
Thess.  4:  14-17.)  Then,  and  not  till  then,  did 
Paul  expect  to  be  present  with  the  Lord.     "For 


98   AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  A.  CARGILE. 

if  the  dead  rise  not,  then  is  not  Christ  raised.  .  .  . 
Then  they  also  which  are  fallen  asleep  in  Christ 
are  perished.  If  in  this  life  only  we  have  hope  in 
Christ,  we  are  of  all  men  most  miserable."  (i 
Cor.  15:  16,  18,  19.)  "But  godliness  is  profit- 
able unto  all  things,  having  promise  of  the  life 
that  now  is,  and  of  that  which  is  to  come."  ( i 
Tim.  4:  8.)  Paul  looked  for  his  house  or  crown 
of  immortality,  "at  the  last  trump;  for  the  trum- 
pet shall  sound,  and  the  dead  shall  be  raised  z«- 
corriiptiblc,  and  we  shall  be  changed.  For  this 
corruptible  must  put  on  incorniption,  and  this 
mortal  must  put  on  ivnnortality.  So  w^hen  this 
corruptible  [earthly  house]  shall  have  put  on  m- 
corruption,  and  this  mortal  shall  have  put  on 
immortality ,  then  shall  be  brought  to  pass  the  say- 
ing that  is  written,  Death  is  swallowed  np  in  vic- 
tory." (i  Cor.  15:  52-54.)  So  we  see  that  a 
man  has  only  to  be  "daring"  enough  to  preach 
an  unpopular  truth  to  show  that  Eld.  Newton's 
position  on  this  point  is  derived  from  "vain  phil- 
osophy and  the  traditions  of  men,  after  the  rudi- 
ments of  the  world,  and  not  after  Christ. 
(Col.  2  :    8.) 

IX.     "  Unless  the  spirit  lives  there  can  be  no  resurrection 
fronn  death."' 

Reply. — This    is    strange    theology,    indeed,    to 


FURTHER   EXPERIENCES,    ETC.  99 

teach  that  a  man  must  continue  to  live  in  order  to 
r^ive.  "Thou  fool,  that  which  thou  sowest  is  not 
quickened,  except  it  die."  (i  Cor.  15:  36.) 
This  is  the  way  Paul  met  his  opponents  on  this 
point.  We  cannot  see  how  there  can  be  a  resur- 
rection or  ;rliving  without  a  death  first.  Christ 
is  "the  [cause  of  the]  resurrection  and  the  life." 
Isaiah  says,  "Thy  dead  men  shall  live."  (Isa. 
26:  19.)  "Dead  men,"  not  something  which 
never  did  or  could  die  ! 

X.  "Again  we  find  Paul  teaching  that  he  possessed  an 
'■inner  man,'  which  could  live  independent  of  the  body,  in 
2  Cor.  12:  2,  3 :  'I  knew  a  man  in  Christ  above  fourteen 
years  ago  (whether  in  the  body,  I  cannot  tell,  or  whether  out 
of  the  body,  I  cannot  tell);  such  a  one  caught  up  to  the  third 
heaven.  And  I  knew  such  a  man  (whether  in  the  body  or 
out  of  the  body,  I  cannot  tell:  God  knoweth  ;)  how  that  he 
was  caught  up  to  paradise,  and  heard  unspeakable  things, 
which  it  is  not  lawful  for  a  man  to  utter." 

Reply. — Paul  is  so  far  from  teaching  that  we 
possess  an  entity  which  can  live  independent  of 
the  body,  that  even  here  in  this  case,  he  says  he 
will  come  to  visions  and  revelations  of  God. 
(See  verse  i.)  Paul  then  was  in  a  vision,  and 
for  a  time  was  caught  up  to  paradise.  There  he 
saw  things  not  lawful  to  utter.  He  had  a  view 
of  the  future  state  of  God's  children  "in  the  world 
to  come."      (For  paradise  is  on  the  renewed  earth. 


lOO     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

Compare  Rev.  2:  7,  with  Rev.  22:  2.)  Is  it 
safe  for  any  man  to  say  that  Paul  was  out  of  the 
body,  when  he  tells  us  himself  that  he  does  not 
know?  We  believe  Paul  was  in  a  trance,  and 
God  showed  him  what  was  to  be  given  to  the 
saints '' at  t/i at  daj'."  (2  Tim.  4:  8.)  If  he  was 
out  of  the  body,  his  body  was  still  alive.  Was 
Paul  two  living  men  for  a  time? 

XI.  "We  see  again  that  Paul  would  impress  us  with  the 
sublime  doctrine  of  immortality  by  his  language  in  regard  to 
himself,  in  Philippians  i  :  21,  'For  to  me  to  live  is  Christ, 
and  to  die  is  gain.'  Also  verses  22  and  23,  '  But  if  I  live  «» 
the^es/i,  this  is  the  fruit  of  my  labor:  yet  what  I  shall  choose 
I  wot  not.  For  I  am  in  a  strait  betwixt  two,  having  a  desire 
to  depart,  and  to  be  with  Christ;  which  is  far  better.'" 

Reply. — Let  us  review  Paul's  language  here, 
and  if  he  does  teach  the  immortality  of  the  soul 
in  this  passage  we  can  certainly  see  it  without 
forcing  an  inference:  "There  is  no  doubt — there 
can  be  none  —  that  the  Apostle  in  this  sentence 
refers  to  the  future  reward  of  the  righteous  after 
the  present  hfe,  in  the  immediate  presence  of 
their  glorified  Redeemer.  The  highest  state  of 
rapture  conceivable  in  the  hope  of  Christian  be- 
lievers is  to  be  with  Christ!  'Having  the  intense 
desire  for  the  returning  and  being  with  Christ.' 
(Literal  rendering  of  the  text.)  This  'expecta- 
tion and  hope'  is  consummated  not  at  the  period  of 


FURTHER   EXPERIENCES,   ETC.  lOI 

death,  but  at  the  return  of  the  Lord  from  heaven, 
and  at  the  epoch  of  the  resurrection  of  the  just 
from  the  dead,  and  the  translation  of  the  mortal 
living  saints,  at  his  coming." — Tract  No.  j6,  West- 
ern Series,  PauV s  Expectation  and  Hope,  by  O.  R. 
Fassett.  "  Not  an  exact  translation  from  the  Greek, 
and  the  'for'  is  strangely  transposed.  Literally 
it  is,  '  and  I  am  hard  pressed  indeed  by  the  two 
(whether  to  live  or  die).'  An  old  man,  alone  in 
his  prison  at  Rome,  he  tells  us  whether  to  live 
or  to  die  he  knows  not  which  to  choose,  since  he 
is  sure  he  will  magnify  the  Lord  either  way. 
(Verses  20  and  22.)  It  cannot  be  that  in  the 
next  breath  he  will  contradict  himself  and  say  that 
he  does  well  know  which  he  chooses  —  that  his 
earnest  desire  (Greek,  epithuvtian  —  elsewhere 
translated  lust)  is  to  die." — Bible  Doctrine  of  the 
Soul,  by  Prof.  C.  L.  Ives,  pp.  21  and  22. 

We  have  thus  far  quoted  from  learned  writers 
on  this  passage  to  show  how  it  has  been  perverted 
by  the  learned  (?)  Dr.  Newton.  Paul  says  he  is 
"in  a  strait  betwixt  two,"  and  if  he  did  not  know 
which  to  choose,  am  1  free  to  assert  that  he  did 
choose  either  to  live  or  die,  when  he  declares  him- 
self that  he  would  prefer  something  far  "better" 
than  live  or  die,  /.  e.,  "to  be  with  Christ"?  Paul 
here  says  nothing  of  his  soul  either  bodied  or  dis- 
embodied, but  speaks  of  himself — in  the  first  per- 


102     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

son  —  as  "■dying,  living,  departing,  and  being  with 
Christ!'  So  if  he  meant  that  he  chose  for  his  dis- 
embodied soul  or  spirit  to  "be  with  Christ,"  he 
also  meant  that  for  that  same  soul  "to  live  is 
Christ,"  and  "to  die  is  gain."  Could  it  die  even 
for  gain  if  it  is  inimortaU  Dr.  Murdock  renders 
the  passage  thus:  "For  my  life  is  the  Messiah, 
and  if  I  die  it  is  gain  to  me.  But  if  I  have  fruits 
of  my  labors  in  this  life  of  the  flesh,  I  know  not 
what  to  choose,  for  the  two  press  upon  me.  I 
desire  to  be  liberated,  that  I  may  be  with  the  Mes- 
siah, and  this  would  be  very  advantageous  to  me." 
The  Doctor's  exegesis  of  this  passage  makes  Paul 
contradict  his  own  language  in  i  Thess.  4:  16, 
17:  "The  Lord  himself  shall  descend  from  heaven 
.  .  .  and  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first:  then 
we  which  are  alive  and  remain  shall  be  caught  up 
together  with  them  ...  to  meet  the  Lord  .  .  .  and 
so  shall  we  be  ever  with  the  Lord."  He  did  not 
expect  to  be  with  the  Lord  until  he  should  meet 
him  "  in  the  air,"  and  he  cannot  meet  him  until  he 
comes  "in  the  clouds."  Doubtless  Paul  desired 
translation. 

XII.  "When  Stephen  was  being  stoned  to  death,  he 
prayed  for  the  Lord  to  receive  his  spirit.  He  expected  then 
to  go  to  be  with  the  Lord,  for  he  saw  heaven  open,"  etc. 

Reply — The  spirit  of  Stephen  was  not  Stephen  ! 
The  original  word    here    rendered  spirit    is  often 


FURTHER   EXPERIENCES,    ETC.  103 

rendered  wind,  air,  breath,  etc.,  etc.,  and  Eld. 
Newton  very  well  knows  it.  It  is  from  the  He- 
brew ruacJi  and  the  Greek  pnenma,  and  never 
means  an  entity  in  man,  but  an  element  or  prin- 
ciple of  life.  The  wise  man  says  of  man  and  the 
brute,  "they  have  all  one  breath."  (Hebrew, 
ruacJi — spirit.)  "Who  knoweth  the  spirit  {niach) 
of  man  that  goeth  upward,  or  the  spirit  {ruach)  of 
the  beast  that  goeth  downward  to  the  earth?" 
(Eccl.  3:  19-21.)  So  we  see  at  once  that  if  the 
spirit  of  Stephen  was  an  immortal  soul,  the  beast 
has  an  immortal  soul  too,  as  really  as  Stephen  had, 
for  the  original  is  the  same.  Just  see  how  easily 
error  cuts  her  own  throat.  Stephen  commended 
his  life  to  the  Lord. 

XIII.  "The  angels  that  sinned  are  reserved  unto  judg- 
ment (2  Peter  2  :  4),  and  they  are  reserved  in  chains  of  dark- 
ness where  their  spirits  are  miserable  —  they  are  confined  in 
hell  —  hades'' 

Reply — There  is  not  a  hint  in  this  passage  that 
the  spirits  of  the  fallen  angels  are  in  misery;  the 
allusion  is  to  the  angels  themselves,  not  their 
spirits!  The  word  hell  in  this  passage  is  not  from 
hades,  as  our  brother  would  have  us  believe,  but 
it  is  from  the  Greek  word  tartarns,  and  it  is  found 
nowhere  else  in  the  New  Testament.  Mr.  Park- 
hurst,  in  his  Greek  Lexicon,  says  it  signifies  "the 
dark  and  murky  atmosphere  encircling  our  globe," 


I04  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  A.  CARGILE. 

hence  Satan,  the  chief  of  the  fallen  angels,  is  called 
"the  Prince  of  the  power  of  the  air."  (See  Eph. 
2:  2.)  Another  author  says /^r/rt/v/i- means  "  the 
restricted  abode  of  the  fallen  angels."  We  think 
enough  has  been  said  on  this  passage  to  prove  to 
the  reader  that  a  drowning  man  (to  save  a  cher- 
ished theory)  will  catch  at  a  straw. 

XIV.  "The  rich  man  and  Lazarus  is  another  striking 
proof  that  the  dead  are  conscious.  'Oh,'  say  the  Advent 
friends,  'that  is  only  a  parable.'  Ah!  is  that  so.''  Jesus 
does  not  say  so.  He  says,  'There  was  a  certain  rich  man,' 
etc.  He  must  be  a  daring  man  who  will  give  the  blessed 
Son  of  God  the  lie,  and  say,  '  No,  sir ;  there  was  not  a  cer- 
tain rich  man  —  it  is  only  a  parable.'  Jesus  gives  us  the 
reward  of  each.  The  beggar  died,  and  lo  !  angels  carry  his 
spirit  to  Abraham's  bosom.  'The  rich  man  also  died,  and 
was  buried  ;  and  in  hell  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  being  in  tor- 
ments.' What  part  of  hell,  or  hades  was  he  in  .''  Why,  that 
part  where  there  is  torment,  of  course.*  I  pity  the  man  who 
is  bold  enough  to  say  this  is  not  a  literal  fact,  but  only  a  par- 
able. The  rich  man  is  conscious  in  hades,  too,  and  Bro. 
Cargile  told  us  that  'there  is  no  work,  nor  device,  nor  wis- 
dom, nor  knowledge'  in  hades  —  or  the  receptacle,  as  he 
termed  it,  of  the  dead." 

Reply. — We  have  no  doubt  but  that  our  brother 
will  cease  calling  this  "a  literal  fact"  when  we 
have  shown  the  absurdity  of  his  position.  First, 
we  will  give  the  reader  a  few  quotations  from 
other  and  more  able  pens  on  this  passage.  They 
are  learned  men,  and  understand  language  as  well, 


FURTHER    EXPERIENCES,    ETC,  105 

at  least,  as  Dr.  Newton.  Says  Dr.  Lightfoot, 
"Whosever  believes  this  to  be  not  a  parable  but 
a  true  story,  let  him  believe,  also,  those  little  friars, 
whose  business  it  is  to  show  the  monuments  at 
Jerusalem  to  pilgrims,  and  point  exactly  to  the 
place  where  the  rich  glutton  stood.  Most  accu- 
rate keepers  of  antiquity  indeed  !  who,  after  so 
many  hundreds  of  years,  such  overthrows  of  Jerusa- 
lem, such  devastations  and  changes,  can  rake  out 
of  the  rubbish  the  place  of  so  private  a  house,  and 
such  a  one,  too,  that  never  had  any  existence,  but 
merely  in  a  parable."  Whitby  says,  "This  is  only 
a  parable  and  not  a  history."  Wakefield,  a  very 
able  translator,  says :  "To  them  who  regard  this 
narration  as  a  reality  it  must  stand  as  an  unanswer- 
able argument  for  the  purgatory  of  the  papists.'' 
We  could  give  many  more  extracts  from  such  men 
as  Theophylact,  Dr.  Gill,  Jas.  Bate,  etc.,  for  the 
purpose  of  showing  that  they  viewed  it  as  a  par- 
able, but  we  will  give  one  from  Eld.  M.  Grant: 
"A  manuscript  of  the  seventh  century  commences 
it  as  follows  :  'And  he  spake  also  another  parable.' 
One  of  the  tenth  century  reads:  'The  Lord  spake 
this  parable,' "  etc.  They  are  just  as  reliable  as  our 
King  James  version.  We  cannot  forbear  offering 
another  extract,  since  it  is  such  valuable  testimony 
on  this  point.  Eld,  L,  C.  Collins,  in  a  work  on 
Hades  and  Sheol,  says  :   "  If  it  be  a  simple  narrative 


Io6  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  A.  CARGTLE. 

of  events,  as  some  claim,  it  must  be  literally  true 
in  all  its  details.  But  this  view  would  surround  us 
with  insurmountable  difficulties  on  every  side.  It 
is  located  in  hades.  But  hades  is  the  grave — the 
underworld  —  subterraneous  region.  Few  would 
be  willing  to  take  this  literally,  and  confess  it  their 
belief  that  all  the  dead  are  now  detained  in  a  con- 
scious state,  down  in  the  grave,  or  under  the  earth. 
Yet  this  is  hades/  It  locates  the  wicked  and  the 
righteous  alongside  in  plain  view,  and  in  speaking 
distance  of  each  other  !  Is  it  literally  so?  So  it 
must  be  if  this  be  a  'history  either  of  what  has 
been  or  what  may  be.'  As  Abraham,  the  Rich 
Man,  and  Lazarus  are  understood  to  be  literally  in 
their  graves,  are  the  voices,  the  finger,  the  tongue, 
the  bosom,  the  water,  the  fire,  etc.,  all  literal? 
Such  they  must  be  if  it  is  a  real  history."  We 
next  quote  from  Bible  Doctrine  of  the  Soul,  by 
Charles  L.  Ives,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  Theory  in 
Yale  College,  p.  17:  "Here  again,  through  our 
unbiblical  conception  of  the  soul,  have  we  been 
misled.  This  is  a  parable  introduced  by  the  state- 
ment, 'There  was  a  certain  rich  man,'  etc.,  precisely 
as  are  its  neighboring  parables.  Its  scene  is  laid, 
not  in  hell,  but  in  the  grave  (the  Greek  is  hades, 
not  gehefuiah) ."  We  might  quote  {vom  Life  Be- 
yond Death,  by  Wm.  Sheldon,  and  many  other 
works  of  authors  now    living,  who    view    it  as  a 


FURTHER   EXPERIENCES,    ETC.  107 

parable.  So  we  see  there  are  many  men  "  daring" 
enough  to  give  (not  the  Son  of  God  the  He,  as 
h^ld.  Newton  has  charged  us,  but)  this  parable  its 
place  among  the  many  others  spoken  by  our  Sav- 
iour. We  cannot  see  how  it  can  be  a  literal 
history. 

Now,  reader,  please  notice  Dr.  Newton's  theory. 
He  says  the  angels  took  the  spirit  of  the  beggar. 
Let  us  see  if  both  ends  of  this  story  can  be  so 
twisted  and  still  be  made  to  meet  and  harmonize? 
We  will  proceed  to  read  the  story  in  the  light  he 
has  given  us:  "The  beggar  died  and  lo  !  angels 
carry  his  spirit.  The  rich  man  died  and  lo  !  his 
spirit  was  buried."  Is  the  grave  the  place  for  dis- 
embodied spirits?  Let  it  stand  as  God  placed  it: 
"The  beggar  died,  and  was  carried"  (Luke  16: 
22),  not  the  "body  died  and  his  spirit  was  carried." 
The  rich  man's  body  died  and  his  spirit  was  buried  ! 
This  is  not  an  unfair  statement  of  Dr.  Newton's 
theory.  If  "  beggar"  signifies  the  spirit  of  Lazarus, 
the  "  rich  man"  must  mean  the  spirit  of  Dives. 
This  conclusion  is  invulnerable.  The  carefuJ  reader 
will  please  turn  back  to  Argument  VII.,  and  see 
that  Eld.  Newton's  definition  of  hades  makes  it  a 
place  of  which  "we  have  no  revelation,"  and  that 
we  cannot  know  anything  of  its  nature  or  contents. 
And  now  he  squarely  contradicts  that  statement 
by  saying  the  rich  man  is  in  that  part  of  hades 


I08  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  A.  CARGILE. 

where  there  are  torments.  How  does  he  know  what 
it  contains?  Whether  it  is  a  place  of  happiness  or 
misery?  What  does  he  know  about  that  which 
he  tells  us  himself  is  unknown?  Just  see  how 
error  cuts  off  her  own  head  and  falls  before  the 
mighty  power  of  God's  word,  although  wielded  by 
Eld.  Newton,  a  man  of  "much  learning,"  capable 
of  explaining  the  Bible  to  common  people(?). 
When  we  see  such  absurdities  in  the  "literal  fact" 
theory,  we  pity  the  man  whose  mind  is  so  befogged 
by  tradition  that  he  cannot  see  clear  light.  But 
the  blindest  people  we  know  are  those  who  will 
not  see. 

XV.  "The  language  of  Jesus  to  the  dying  thief  on  the 
cross  proves  clearly  that  the  soul  is  conscious  after  its  sepa- 
ration from  the  body.  They  were  both  being  crucified,  and 
Jesus  said:  'This  day  thou  shalt  be  with  me  in  paradise.' 
*  Oh,'  say  the  Advent  friends,  '  that  comma  is  in  the  wrong 
place,  it  should  be  after  the  word  to-day.'  Let  us  not  dispute 
the  statement.  Did  Jesus  not  understand  language  .''  Or  did 
he  get  his  learning  from  Babylon  .-*  We  should  receive  the 
statement  of  Revelation  without  perverting  it,  and  Bro.  Car- 
gile  misapplied  a  great  deal  of  the  language  of  the  Bible  while 
on  trial  here." 

Reply. — We  cannot  see  a  word  in  the  language 
of  Christ  to  the  thief  to  prove,  or  from  which  even 
to  infer,  that  he  had  an  immortal  soul  which  would 
live  on  after  the  body  was  crucified.  Jesus  spoke 
to  the  thief,  not  to  his  soul.     Let  us  first  notice  the 


FURTHER   EXPERIENCES,   ETC.  lOQ 

request  of  the  thief:  "And  he  said  unto  Jesus, 
Lord,  remember  me  when  thou  comest  in  (not 
into  as  our  translators  have  it,  the  Greek  is  not 
'  eis'  but  '  cii,"  —  in  :  Bible  Doctrine  of  the  Sou/,  p. 
1 6)  thy  kingdom.  And  Jesus  said  unto  him, 
Verily  I  say  unto  thee,  To-day  shalt  thou  be  with 
me  in  paradise."  Luke  23  :  42,  43.  It  would  be 
giving  the  thief  more  than  he  prayed  for  to  let 
him  into  paradise  that  day.  He  was  doubtless 
familiar  with  the  teaching  of  Jesus,  and  perhaps 
knew  the  Scriptures,  which  contain  God's  prom- 
ises to  David  (see  Psa.  89:  3,  4,  28,  29,  30,  31  ; 
also,  Psa.  132:  II,  12),  that  his  kingdom  should 
be  given  to  Christ  "after"  he  shall  have  visited 
"the  Gentiles  to  take  out  of  them  a  people  for  his 
name."  For  proof  compare  Amos  9:  li,  with 
Acts  15:  14,  17.  Hence  his  request  was,  not  to 
be  remembered  at  death,  but  when  thou  comest  in 
thy  kingdom.  And  three  days  afterward  Jesus 
said:  "I  am  not  }'ct  ascended,"  etc.  We  care 
nothing  for  the  comma  about  which  we  hear  so 
much,  we  only  want  the  reply  to  harmonize  with 
the  request  of  the  thief,  and  all  other  Scripture  on 
this  point.  Our  brother  asks,  "Did  Jesus  not  un- 
derstand language?"  We  reply  that  perhaps  he 
had  never  studied  Hortic'' s  Introduction  to  the  use 
of  Language  and  Rules  of  Biblical  Interpretation^ 
and  if  not,  according  to  Dr.  Newton,  he  did  not,  or, 


no     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

at  least,  he  run  the  risk  of  being  charged  with 
misappl}-ing  language.  We  think  when  Jesus 
spoke  he  used  simple,  comprehensive  words,  and 
always  meant  exactly  what  h^  said.  Punctuation 
was  never  applied  to  written  language  until  less 
than  three  hundred  years  ago,  and  the  comma  was 
not  placed  by  inspiration  at  all. 

Reader,  you  are  expected  to  peruse  these  pages 
for  the  light  of  Truth,  and  to  this  end  I  pray  God 
to  make  the  contrast  between  Truth  and  Error  so 
plain  that  you  may  be  able  to  see  the  brilliancy  of 
the  light  of  Truth. 


SERMON   II. 

At  Edgefield  Church,  Jackson  County,  Ala.,  on 
the  second  Saturday  in  March,  1873,  Eld.  Newton 
said  : 

I.  "Jesus,  while  on  earth,  possessed  two  natures,  one  a 
human,  the  other  a  divine  nature.  Hence,  when  it  was  said, 
*  you  have  crucified  the  Lord  of  Glory,'  his  human  nature  only 
was  meant,  and  no  allusion  to  his  divine  nature,  for  that 
cculd  not  be  crucified.  So  the  language  referring  to  man 
sometimes  signifies  body,  sometimes  the  soul." 

Reply. —  In  answer  to  our  brother's  first  point, 
respecting  the  two  natures  of  Christ,  we  would 
propound  one  question,  i.  c,  Which  nature  was 
called  "the  Lord  of  Glory"?     Will    he   take  the 


FURTHER   EXPERIENCES,    ETC.  1  I  r 

position  that  it  was  his  human  nature?  Of  course 
not !  Then  it  must  have  been  his  "divine  nature" 
called  "the  Lord  of  Glory."  Then  the  word  ex- 
pressly declares  "the  Lord  of  Glory"  was  crucified, 
and  not  a  word  do  we  find  of  his  consciousness  be- 
tween his  crucifixion  and  his  resurrection.  But 
admitting  our  brother's  position  in  respect  to  the 
two  natures  of  our  Saviour,  does  it  not  prove  that 
man  is  in  possession  of  a  divine  nature  too?  If 
so,  did  he  get  it  from  God?  and  is  it  a  part  of 
divinity  implanted  in  the  human  body  called  the 
soul?  Then  when  God  damns  the  soul  of  a  sin- 
ner he  damns  a  part  of  his  own  divinity !  Shock- 
ing absurdity ! 

II.  "  Synecdoche  is  a  figure  of  speech  by  which  a  part  is 
put  for  the  whole  or  any  other  portion  of  a  thing,  as  for  ex- 
ample, 'this  roof  shall  be  my  protection,'  referring,  of  course, 
to  the  house.  So  it  is  when  it  was  said  to  the  ricli  man  : 
'Thou  in  thy  lifetime  receivedst  thy  good  things,'  etc.  The 
lifetime  of  the  body  is  meant." 

Reply. —  We  had  hoped  that  he  would  let  the 
poor  old  rich  man  rest  a  little  in  this  sermon,  but  it 
seems  that  he  must  "run  him  through  the  mills" 
again.  And  we  notice  that  our  venerable  brother 
has  made  sad  work  of  Dives  this  time  in  regard  to 
his  own  theory.  He  says  the  language  was  ad- 
dressed to  the  soul  and  meant  the  lifetime  of  the 
soul's  body.     Then  the  '  rich   man"  means  either 


112      AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGH.E. 

the  soul  or  the  body  of  the  rich  man.  Let 
him  take  either  position,  and  then  we  will 
examine  his  beautiful  [?]  theory.  If  it  means 
the  soul,  then  it  died,  for  it  is  plainly  declared 
that  he  died  and  was  buried.  So  that  view 
will  not  suit  the  immortality  side  of  the  ques- 
tion. Let  us  then  admit  that  the  "rich  man" 
meant  the  body  of  Dives,  and  that  the  word 
"thou"  meant  his  soul.  Then  Abraham  said: 
"Thou  [soul]  in  thy  lifetime."  Had  the 
"thou"  been  dead,  or  had  its  lifetime  ex- 
pired? Then  it  cannot  be  immortal.  Where 
can  Dr.  Newton  find  his  authority  for  saying 
that  the  phrase  "in  thy  lifetime"  signifies 
"in  the  lifetime  of  thy  body"?  We  chal- 
lenge him  to  produce  it.  He  has  just  said 
that  we  must  not  pervert  the  teachings  of 
revelation,    and  now  he  breaks  that  rule  himself. 

III.  '-We  find  plain  proof  of  the  eternal  torment  of 
the  wicked  in  Rev.  14:  11  :  'And  the  smoke  of  their  tor- 
ment ascendeth  up  forever  and  ever.'  The  Greek  of  this 
passage  is  an  age  of  ages,  which  time  is  long  enough  for 
us  to  know  that  the  sinner  will  he  tormented  for  an  age 
of  ages."' 

Reply. —  The  passage  referred  to  does  not  teach 
nor  even  intimate  such  a  thing  as  the  final  punish- 
ment of  all  the  wicked,  for  ( i )  no  one  is  mentioned 
but  those  who  "worship  the  beast  and  his  image, 


KLRTHER    EXPERIENCES,  ETC.  II3 

and  receive  his  mark  in  their  foreheads  or  in  their 
hands;"  and  (2)  b}'  carefull}'  reading  from  the 
first  of  the  chapter  we  find  a  prophec)'  uttered  in 
reference  to  an  earthl}'  power,  and  the  same  is 
fulfilled  before  we  come  to  the  end  of  the  19th 
chapter.  We  endorse  the  view  of  Eld.  \Vm. 
Sheldon ;  in  his  work,  Li/c  and  Death  Theology, 
p.  39,  40,  he  says:  "Reference  is  here  made  to  a 
visitation  of  temporal  judgment  upon  the  Papal 
power  in  connection  with  the  fall  of  Babylon  from 
her  previous  supremac}'  '  over  the  kings  of  the 
earth.'  This  woman,  'Babylon,'  had  made  herself 
'drunk  with  the  blood  of  the  saints,  and  had  long 
boasted  that  she  was  '  queen'  over  the  nations  of 
the  earth.'  But  a  reverse  was  to  be  witnessed  in 
her  histor\',  and  her  former  sympathizers  and  sup- 
porters were  to  '  hate'  her  and  '  make  her  desolate 
and  naked,  and  shall  eat  her  flesh,  and  burn  her  with 
fire.'  (Rev.  17:  6-16.)  This  being  a  symbolic 
description  of  the  consumption  of  the  Papal  power, 
the  same  temporal  judgments,  to  succeed  the  fall 
of  Babylon,  are  referred  to  in  Rev.  18:  2-10." 
These  scenes  are  prior  to  the  final  punishment  of 
the  wicked. 

IV.  "The  word  death  is  used  to  denote  a  'death  in  tres- 
passes and  in  sins,'  and  also  punishment  'in  the  world  to 
come,'  and  the  word  destruction  means  severe  punishment. 
But  do  these  passages  prove  annihilation  P'" 


114     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

Reply. —  Sinners  are  to  be  punished  for  being 
"dead  in  trespasses  and  in  sins."     So  this  death  is 
the  crime  for  which  they  will  suffer,  instead  of  be- 
ing the  penalty.     While  the  punishment  or  penalty 
is  literally  "the  second  death."     (Rev.  21:    8.)     It 
is  very  true    that  "the  word  destruction    is  used 
to    denote    severe    punishment    in    the    world    to 
come,"  for  "when  the  Lord  Jesus  shall  be  revealed 
from  heaven"  they  shall  be  punished  with  ever- 
lasting destruction."    (2Thess.  I  :  9.)    Eld. Newton 
asks  :    "  But  do  these  passages  prove  annihilation  ?" 
We  reply,  they    prove  destruction    as    plainly  as 
language  can  make  it  without  bending   it.      And 
thus  it  harmonizes  with  many  other  scriptures,  a 
few    of  which   we    give    here:    "For    yet  a  little 
while,  and    the   wicked    shall    not    be;    yea,  thou 
shalt  diligently  consider  his  place,  and  it  shall  not 
be.  .  .  .  But  the  wicked  shall  be  as  the  fat  of  lambs  : 
they  shall  consume;    into  smoke  shall  they  con- 
sume away:"      (Psa.  37:   10-20.)      "And  turning 
the  cities  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrha  into  ashes  con- 
demned them  with  an  overthrow,  making  them  an 
ensample    unto   those   that  after    should    live  un- 
godly."     (2  Peter  2:    6.)      "Even  as  Sodom  and 
Gomorrha,  and   the  cities  about  them  .  .  .  are  set 
forth  for  an  example,  suffering  the  vengeance  of 
eternal  fire."      (Jude  7.)      If  Sodom  and  Gomorrha 
were  destroyed   by  being  turned   "into  ashes,"  as 


FURTHER  EXPERIENCES,  ETC       II5 

Peter  and  Jude  both  testify,  then  surely  the  punish- 
ment of  the  same  nature  awaits  "those  that  after 
should  live  ungodly,"  for  those  cities  "are  set  forth 
for  an  example"  to  all  such.  We  challenge  the 
production  of  one  single  passage  positively  prov- 
ing that  God-dishonoring  and  heathen  dogma  of 
"eternal  torment."  When  will  men  cease  to 
believe  and  teach  that  which  started  in  heathen 
philosophy,  and  which  dishonors  a  kind  and 
merciful  God? 

V.  "The  word  life  sometimes  means  life  and  sometimes 
only  divine  approbation  and  pleasure.  For  example,  in  Matt. 
7:  14:  'Because  strait  is  the  gate,  and  narrow  is  the  way, 
which  leadeth  unto  life.'  Here  it  signifies  life  itself — eternal 
life.  And  again  John  3  :  36;  '  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son 
hath  everlasting  life  :  and  he  that  believeth  not  the  Son  shall 
not  see  life.'  This  passage  evidently  means  divine  approba- 
tion and  pleasure.' 

Reply. — We  should  be  glad  to  know  where 
Eld.  Newton,  the  man  of  "much  learning,"  gained 
all  this  knowledge  about  the  word  life.  He  admits 
that  in  Matt.  7:  14,  it  means  simply  all  it  says. 
By  letting  it  stand  as  it  reads  his  theory  is  not 
injured,  and  consequently  he  is  willing  to  "receive 
with  meekness  the  engrafted  word."  But  when 
he  turns  to  John  3  :  ^6,  and  also  to  Rom.  6:  2^, 
where  the  same  word  is  used,  and  from  the  same 
original  term,  psuchc    [life],  which  is  said  to  be 


Il6  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  A.  CARGILE. 

the  "gift  of  God,"  and  which  is  emphatically 
denied  the  wicked,  he  is  anxious  to  make  it  mean 
"divine  approbation  and  pleasure,"  without  any 
authority  for  his  assertion.  The  careful  reader 
will  see  at  once  that  if  he  admits  these  scriptures 
to  teach  just  what  they  say,  his  cherished  theory  of 
the  eternal  torment  of  the  wicked  is  gone  —  forever 
gone  —  and  the  glorious  light  of  God's  truth  bril- 
hantly  shines  instead  thereof — that  is,  seek  "im- 
mortality" and  get  "eternal  life"  (Rom.  2  :  7),  or 
refuse  to  seek  it  and  not  see  eternal  life,  but  be  cast 
into  the  lake  of  fire  "which  is  the  second  death." 
(Rev.  21  :  8.)  God  said  life.  No  ambiguity 
about  it.  He  said  what  he  meant,  and  meant  just 
exactly  what  he  said.  If  he  did  not  mean  life, 
where  is  the  man  (Eld.  Newton  not  excepted) 
who  is  able  to  prove  that  he  meant  only  divine 
approbation  and  pleasure? 

VI.  "The  death  in  trespasses  and  in  sins  is  very  strik- 
ingly shown  by  the  language  of  Jesus  in  the  5th  chapter  of 
John^s  Gospel  and  25th  verse  :  'The  hour  is  coming,  and  now 
is,  when  the  dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God  :  and 
they  that  hear  shall  live.'  This  is  plain  that  the  sinner  hears, 
and  being  awakened,  he  lives ;  while  verse  28  brings  to  view 
the  resurrection.  '  Marvel  not  at  this  :  for  the  hour  is  com- 
ing, in  the  which  all  that  are  in  the  graves  shall  hear  his  voice, 
and  shall  come  forth  ;  they  that  have  done  good,  unto  the 
resurrection  of  life  ;  and  they  that  have  done  evil,  unto  the 
resurrection  of  damnation.'     Verse  24  of  the  same  chapter 


FURTHER   EXPERIENCES,    ETC.  I  I  7 

declares  that  they  that  hear  his  word  with  faith  '  is  passed 
from  death  unto  life.'  It  is  in  the  present  tense.  He  is  now 
passed  from  death  unto  life." 

Reply. — We  do  not  believe  that  Jesus  had  refer- 
ence to  the  death  in  trespasses  and  in  sins  in  the 
25th  verse,  just  quoted  by  Brother  Newton,  but 
find  the  statement  Hterally  verified  in  the  raising 
of  Lazarus,  who  heard  his  voice,  and  came  forth; 
and  then  Jesus,  to  cause  them  to  look  to  the  time 
of  the  resurrection  for  all  to  come  forth,  puts  forth 
verses  28  and  29.  Lazarus  and  the  daughter  of 
Jairus  were  raised  then ;  but  understand  and 
"marvel  not  at  this  (raising  the  dead  now),  for 
the  hour  is  coming,  in  the  which  all  that  are  in 
the  graves  .shall  .  .  .  come  forth."  It  is  the  dead 
which  will  hear  his  voice,  not  something  that  will 
be  living  and  which  will  have  never  been  dead. 
"Is  passed  from  death  unto  life."  Yes,  sir;  but 
verse  28  tells  us  just  when  they  come  forth  to 
get  it. 

VII.  "Jesus  tells  us  that  our  fathers  did  eat  manna  in 
the  wilderness  and  are  dead  ;  but  he  is  that  bread  which 
came  down  from  heaven,  whereof  if  a  man  eat  he  shall  never 
die,  and  the  Advent  friends  say  that  we  shall  die,  whether 
■we  eat  him  or  not.  Paul  also  tells  us  that '  though  the  outer 
man  perish  the  inner  man  is  renewed  day  by  day.'  Talk 
about  the  inner  man  dying  !  Matt.  10  :  28,  declares  it  cannot 
be  killed,  while  the  body  may  be." 

Reply. —  It     is    true    that    our     fathers    did    eat 


Il8     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

manna  in  the  wilderness  and  then  died ;  but  what 
kind  of  a  death  have  they  died?  A  Hteral  death? 
Certainly  so.  Then  if  we  eat  that  bread,  accord- 
ing to  Eld.  Newton,  we  will  not  die  a  literal  death. 
Our  own  observation  teaches  us  that  this  is  very 
absurd,  for  we  all,  the  saint,  the  sinner,  and  the 
sinless  infants,  die  the  literal  first  death.  Then 
what  death  is  it  they  will  never  die,  who  eat  of 
that  bread?  "Blessed  and  holy  is  he  that  hath 
part  in  the  first  resurrection :  on  such  the  second 
death  hath  no  power."  (Rev.  20:  6.)  Then 
they  will  never  die  "the  second  death,"  while 
those  who  refuse  to  take  the  bread  of  life  will  "  be 
cast  into  the  lake  of  fire  which  is  the  second  death.'* 
But  admitting,  for  argument's  sake,  that  Eld. 
Newton's  interpretation  is  right,  and  that  those 
who  eat  of  that  bread  never  will  die,  what  has  he 
gained  on  the  side  of  natural  immortality?  Then 
all  who  refuse  to  eat  will  die.  So  the  soul  can 
get  immortality  only  through  Christ  at  last.  And 
why  not  have  it  in  God's  way,  and  at  his  appointed 
time  —  the  resurrection?  (See  i  Cor.  15:  52-54.) 
Our  venerable  brother  uses  "the  inner  man"  for 
an  immortal  soul,  and  says,  though  the  body  dies, 
the  "inner  man"  is  renewed  day*by  day.  We 
reply  that  if  the  soul,  or  "inner  man,"  is  immor- 
tal, it  is  not  capable  of  being  renewed,  for  Webster 
says,  "Immortality  is  not  susceptible  of  a  change." 


FURTHER   EXPERIENCES,    ETC.  II9 

Then  how  can  it  be  renewed?  He  runs  back 
again  to  Matt.  10:  28,  where  he  began  in  his 
first  sermon,  and  says  man  is  not  able  to  kill  the 
life,  or  soul.  Our  reply  to  it  in  that  sermon  was, 
that  God  declares  he  "  is  able  to  destroy  it,"  and 
hence  it  cannot  be  immortal.  So  we  see  all  these 
fortifications  falling  before  the  power  of  truth. 

VIII.  "The  Advent  friends  say  the  kingdom  is  not  yet  set 
up.  We  propose  to  read  some  scriptures  proving  them  to  be 
in  error  on  this  point  also.  We  will  first  turn  and  read  Matt. 
II:  12:  '  And  from  the  days  of  John  the  Baptist  until  now 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  suffereth  violence,  and  the  violent 
take  it  by  force.'  Could  it  suffer  violence,  or  could  the  vio- 
lent take  it  by  force,  if  it  were  not  then  here  1  I  think  not. 
But  let  us  read  another.  John  3:  3:  '  Except  a  man  be  born 
from  above  [or  born  again,  as  our  version  says],  he  cannot 
see  the  kingdom.'  Could  he  see  anything  not  in  existence  .'* 
They  claim,  too,  that  it  is,  or  will  be,  a  literal,  visible  king- 
dom, but  the  Bible  says,  '  The  kingdom  is  not  meat  and 
drink:  liut  righteousness,  and  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy 
Ghost."  (Rom.  14:  17.).  And  also,  Luke  17:  21  :  -'The 
kingdom  is  within  you."" 

Reply. —  We  will  briefly  examine  the  passages 
referred  to  by  the  brother,  and  see  if  they  can  be 
reconciled  to  his  view,  and  still  be  in  complete 
harmony  with  other  scriptures  bearing  on  this 
point.  1st.  There  is  a  style,  or  figure  of  speech, 
called  .synecdoche,  in  which  a  part  of  a  thing  is 
put  for  the  whole.  So  it  was  in  those  days.  One 
element  of  the  kingdom  was  then  on    the  earth, 


I20     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

and  did  suffer  violence,  and  the  violent  did  take 
that  element  of  the  kingdom  by  force.  The  pro- 
spective King  was  the  one  who  suffered  violence. 
He  was  taken  by  force  and  crucified.  2d.  We 
really  believe  just  what  Jesus  told  Nicodemus  in 
John  3:3:  That  "  except  a  man  be  born  again 
he  cannot  see  the  kingdom."  That  is,  born  of  the 
Spirit,  or  from  above ;  but  this  takes  place  at  the 
resurrection,  not  at  conversion ;  conversion  and 
resurrection  constitute  the  new  birth;  for  "the 
wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and  thou  hearest  the 
sound  thereof,  but  canst  not  tell  from  whence  it 
Cometh  or  whither  it  goeth  ;  so  is  every  one  that 
is  born  of  the  Spirit."  Not  the  Spirit,  but  those 
born  of  the  Spirit.  Jesus  was  "put  to  death  in 
the  flesh,  but  quickened  by  the  Spirit."  After 
which  quickening,  or  being  made  alive  from  the 
dead,  he  came  and  stood  in  the  midst  of  his  disci- 
ples-, the  doors  being  shut.  He  could  come  and 
go  like  the  wind  —  make  himself  visible  or  invisi- 
ble. "So  is  every  one  that  is  born  of  the  Spirit." 
Then  we  do  not  yet  see  the  kingdom.  3d.  It  is 
a  wrong  idea  to  conclude  that  "righteousness,  and 
peace,  and  jo)^  in  the  Holy  Ghost,"  is  the  king- 
dom—  they  being  only  characteristicfs  of  the  king- 
dom. Another  scripture  declares  that  "God  is 
love."  Is  that  intended  to  teach  us  that  love  is  all 
the  God  with  whom  we  have  to  do?     Love  beingr 


FURTHER    EXPERIENCES,    ETC.  12  1 

one  of  the  characteristics  of  God,  it  is  used  in  the 
same  sense  as  the  passage  declaring  "the  kingdom 
is  righteousness,  and  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy 
Ghost."  4th.  Eld.  Newton  reads  Luke  17:  21  : 
"The  kingdom  of  God  is  within  you."  Let  us 
read  the  context:  "And  when  he  (Jesus)  was 
demanded  of  the  Pharisees  when  the  kingdom  of 
God  should  appear,  he  answered  and  said  unto 
them  (the  Pharisees),  the  kingdom  of  God  is  with- 
in you."  Was  it  in  their  murderous  hearts?  We 
read  in  the  margin,  "or  among  you,"  which  makes 
it  clear.  One  element  of  the  kingdom  was  among 
them,  but  not  as  king  then  ;  but  he  is  destined  to 
become  a  king,  when  the  Father  shall  have  de- 
stroyed all  enemies,  death  being  the  last  one  to  be 
destroyed. 

IX.  "There  are  many  comings  of  Jesus.  He  says, '  Where 
two  or  three  are  met  together,  there  am  I  in  the  midst.'  And 
'  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world.' 
The  sun,  moon  and  stars,  which  our  Advent  friends  take  to 
be  literal,  and  also  omens  of  Jesus'  coming,  only  represent 
tlie  princes  and  lesser  powers  of  the  Roman  government. 
The  coming  of  Jesus  is  not  visible,  for  in  Rev.  16,  we  read  of 
three  unclean  spirits  like  frogs,  and  then  '  Behold,  I  come 
quFckly.'  Is  he  coming  then  in  judgment?  In  Rev.  20,  we 
read  of  the  first  and  second  resurrection.  One  is  a  spiritual 
resurrection  from  a  death  in  trespasses  and  in  sins,  while  the 
other  is  a  literal  resurrection  from  the  dead." 

Reply. —  We  only  read  of  the  second  coming  of 


122  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  A.  CARGILE. 

the  Lord  since  his  first  advent,  and  hence  we  can- 
not conceive  how  he  could  come  personally  every 
time  two  or  three  meet  in  his  name.  We  have 
him  always  present  by  his  Spirit  or  influence,  but 
is  the  spirit  of  God  to  be  understood  as  God  him- 
self? If  so  we  have  seven  Gods ;  for  we  read  of 
"the  seven  spirits  of  God."  Elder  Newton  says 
the  sun,  moon  and  stars,  in  Rev.  6:  12,  and  under 
the  Sixth  Seal,  denote  princes  and  lesser  powers  of 
the  Roman  government.  We  call  for  his  authority 
in  this  construction  —  did  God  tell  him  that  the 
sun,  moon  and  stars  were  used  to  represent  prin- 
ces and  lesser  powers  of  the  Roman  government? 
We  think  not.  Isaiah,  Joel,  Jesus,  and  the  Revela- 
tor,  all  concur  in  the  prediction ;  and  the  literal 
fulfillment  in  the  darkening  of  the  sun  and  moon 
in  1780,  and  the  falling  of  the  stars  in  1833,  came 
at  the  right  time  to  fulfill  a  literal  prophecy.  We 
here  give  a  few  extracts  to  prove  this  to  be  the 
fulfillment,  quoting  from  The  Trimtpet  for  the 
Watchnum: 

"Dark  day  of  May  19,  1780.  The  sun  rose 
clear,  and  shone  for  several  hours ;  at  length  the 
sky  became  overcast  with  clouds,  and  by  ten 
o'clock,  A.  M.,  the  darkness  was  such  as  to  occa- 
sion the  farmers  to  leave  their  work  in  the  fields 
and  retire  to  their  dwellings  ;  fowls  went  to  their 
roosts,  and  before  noon   lights  became  necessary 


FURTHER    EXPERIENCES,    ETC.  1 23 

to  the  transaction  of  business  within  doors.  The 
darkness  continued  through  the  day,  and  the  night 
till  near  morning  was  as  unusually  dark  as  the  day." 
—  Gages'  History  of  Rowley,  Massachusetts. 

"The  19th  of  May,  1780,  was  a  remarkably 
dark  day ;  candles  were  lighted  in  many  houses ; 
the  birds  were  silent  and  disappeared  ;  the  fowls 
retired  to  rest.  It  was  the  general  opinion  that 
the  day  of  judgment  was  at  hand." — Dwight,  in 
Connecticut  Historical  Collection. 

Enough  on  the  dark  day  and  night.  We  now 
give  extracts  to  show  the  falling  of  the  stars,  which 
is  the  next  event  in  consecutive  order,  and  occurred 
on  the  13th  of  November,  1833.  "At  the  cry, 
'Look  out  of  the  window,'  I  sprang  from  a  deep 
sleep,  and  with  wonder  saw  the  east  lighted  up 
with  the  dawn  and  meteors.  The  zenith,  the 
north,  and  the  west,  also  showed  the  falling  stars, 
in  the  very  image  of  one  thing,  and  only  one,  I 
ever  heard  of.  I  called  to  my  wife  to  behold,  and 
while  robing  she  exclaimed,  'See  how  the  stars 
fall.'  I  replied,  'That  is  the  wonder,'  and  we  felt 
in  our  hearts  that  it  was  a  sign  of  the  last  days,  for 
truly  the  'stars  of  heaven  fell  unto  the  earth,  even 
as  a  fig-tree  casteth  her  untimely  figs  when  she  is 
shaken  of  a  mighty  wind.'  (Rev.  6:  13.)  This 
language  of  the  prophet  has  by  some  been  received 
as  metaphorical.     Yesterday    it  was    literally   ful- 


124  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  A.  CARGILE. 

filled.  The  ancients  understood  by  aster  in  Greek, 
and  stellar  in  Latin,  the  smaller  lights  of  heaven. 
The  refinement  of  modern  astronomy  has  made 
the  distinction  between  stars  of  heaven  and  meteors 
of  heaven.  Therefore,  the  idea  of  the  prophet,  as 
expressed  in  the  original  Greek,  was  literally  ful- 
filled. .  .  .  Here  is  the  exactness  of  the  prophet; 
the  falling  stars  did  not  come  as  if  from  several 
trees  shaken,  but  from  one.  .  .  .  And  they  fell  not 
as  the  ripe  fruit  falls ;  but  they  flew,  they  were 
cast  like  unripe  fruit,  which,  at  first,  refuses  to 
leave  the  branch,  and  when  under  a  violent  pres- 
sure it  does  break  its  hold,  it  flies  swiftly,  straight 
off,  descending,  and  in  the  multitude  falling  some 
across  the  track  of  others  as  they  are  thrown  to 
the  ground  with  more  or  less  force,  but  each  one 
falls  on  its  own  side  of  the  tree.  .  .  .  No  philosopher 
or  scholar  has  told  or  recorded  an  event  (I  sup- 
pose) like  that  of  yesterday  morning.  A  prophet 
of  eighteen  hundred  years  ago  foretold  it  exactly, 
if  we  will  be  at  the  trouble  of  understanding  stars 
falling  to  mean  falling  stars,  or,  kai  oi  asteres  ton 
oiiranon  epcsan  cis  tun  gecji,  in  the  only  sense  in 
which  it  is  possible  to  be  literally  true."  Thus  we 
see  that  these  things  came  to  pass  just  as  Jesus 
said  they  would,  and  if  he  meant  princes  and 
lesser  powers  of  the  Roman  government,  why  did 
he  not  tell  us  so?     The  three  unclean  spirits  por- 


FURTHER    EXPERIENCES,    ETC.  I  25 

trayed  in  Rev.  16  are  just  prior  to  the  judgment, 
for  Jesus  says  in  the  succeeding  verse,  "Behold 
I  come  as  a  thief."  These  spirits  are  to  begin 
their  work  on  the  eve  of  the  great  battle.  We 
think  we  can  discern  them  in  modern  Spiritualism, 
therefore  we  think  the  judgment  is  at  hand. 

We  desire  to  know  where  the  learned  Doctor 
found  his  authority  to  spiritualize  the  first  resurrec- 
tion and  literalize  the  second.  The  language  of 
the  Bible  is  precisely  the  same.  If  we  construe 
the  first  resurrection  to  be  spiritual,  upon  the  very 
same  hypothesis  they  are  both  spiritual.  Better 
to  let  God's  arrangement  stand  and  not  pervert  it 
by  our  interpretation  of  Scripture.  Reader,  study 
well  your  Bible.  The  first  resurrection  will  com- 
prise the  righteous  dead  ;  the  second,  "whosoever 
was  not  found  written  in  the  Book  of  Life." 

May  the  great  God  lead  our  beloved  Bro.  New- 
ton—  even  in  his  old  age  —  into  the  glorious  light 
of  his  truth. 

Soon  after  my  withdrawal  from  the  church  I 
was  going  to  my  appointment  across  the  river, 
when  a  man  in  a  field  called  to  me  and  said,  "I 
want  you  to  baptize  me."  I  told  him,  "All  right; 
meet  me  at  the  river  at  one  o'clock  to-day,  and, 
by  God's  grace,  I  will  put  you  in."  As  I  came  up 
with  him  out  of  the  water  I  told   them  that  God 


126     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

had  a  use  for  that  man.  I  felt  it,  somehow,  very 
forcibly.  He  has  long  since  been  a  preacher  of 
the  gospel. 

In  March  I  went  with  Bro.  Davis  to  Ooltewah, 
Tenn.,  where  I  joined  the  Second  Advent  Chris- 
tian Church  at  Bethel.  The  work  there  had  been 
done  by  Bro.  Davis  and  Sr.  Hastings.  I  was  their 
pastor  for  more  than  eight  years.  The  fourth 
Sunday  in  March  I  attended  the  meeting  at  New 
Hope,  and  witnessed  my  own  expulsion,  but  was 
not  permitted  to  speak.  But  the  dear  brother 
thought  he  was  right,  and  I  love  him  dearly.  He 
is  one  of  my  dearest  friends  to-day,  and  shall  have 
a  copy  of  this  book  if  he  lives  till  it  is  published. 

Being  excluded  from  the  church  did  not  stop 
me,  but  only  set  me  free  to  go  into  the  world  and 
proclaim  this  grand  truth  in  the  regions  beyond  as 
far  as  I  possibly  could.  The  church,  seeing  that  I 
went  on  regardless  of  my  expulsion,  voted  to  send 
a  certain  brother  to  m.e  to  demand  my  Baptist  cre- 
dentials. I  heard  of  it,  and  U>()kLd  for  him  daily 
till  just  before  the  next  church  meeting,  when  he 
came.  He  stayed  all  day,  and  after  sunset  asked 
me  to  walk  out  with  him.  We  sat  on  the  fence 
and  talked  till  after  dark,  and  he  went  away  with- 
out naming  credentials  to  me.  I  was  nmch 
amused  over  it.  I  heard  that  he  went  before  the 
church  and  begged  further  time,  which  was  granted. 


FURTHER   EXPERIENCES,    ETC.  12/ 

Just  before  the  next  meeting  he  came  again  and 
spent  the  day  as  before.  About  dark  he  again 
asked  if  I  would  take  a  walk  with  him.  We  went 
to  the  same  fence  and  sat  on  the  same  rail,  talking, 
and  turning,  about  one  hour.  How  I  pitied  him. 
He  knew  I  had  done  nothing  worthy  of  such  treat- 
ment, and  it  was  an  awful  task  for  him  to  ask  me 
to  give  up  those  papers.  I  waited  patiently. 
Finally  he  said,  "Well,  Bro.  John,  have  you  heard 
what  a  duty  the  church  has  demanded  at  my 
hands?"  I  replied,  "Why,  yes,  Bro.  H.,  I  knew 
that  last  month  when  you  were  here."  He  seemed 
surprised,  and  asked,  "Well,  what  do  you  say?" 
I  replied,  "Go  and  tell  the  church  that  I  refused 
to  give  them  to  you."  He,  of  course,  could  do  no 
more.  As  he  started,  I  told  him  that  I  would  be 
on  hand  and  deliver  the  credentials  myself. 

Accordingly,  I  attended  the  next  church  meet- 
ing, and  after  preaching  by  Bro.  Jack  Rogers,  I 
obtained  permission  to  read  the  following  letter: 

ELD.    CARGILE'S    LETTER 

To  the  Baptist  Church  demanding  his  Credentials,  which  were 
delivered,  and  the  letter  read  to  them  by  him  in  person. 

To  the  Baptist  Cluirck  called  New  Hope: 

Dear  Brethren  and  Sisters:  —  I  have  just 
been  praying  God  to  guide  me  in  this  letter.  I 
look  over  the  short  space  of  one  year,  and  can 


128     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

remember  many  pleasant  seasons  we  have  enjoyed 
together,  all  working  in  harmony  for  God's  cause. 
It  is  true  that  I  have  tried,  by  the  help  of  God  (who 
I  believe  called  me  to  the  great  work  of  preaching 
the  gospel),  to  preach  to  you  truth  in  its  purity. 
It  is  also  true  that  you,  as  a  church,  were  faithfully 
warned  of  coming  troubles  on  account  of  the  word 
preached.  And  instead  of  rejecting  the  doctrine, 
you,  by  your  actions,  encouraged  me  to  continue 
until  the  threatening  clouds  began  to  lower. 

I  have  always  loved  you.  You  have  now  de- 
manded the  surrender  of  my  Credentials,  which  I 
give  up  without  a  single  murmur,  for  if  my  ordina- 
tion was  ratified  in  heaven  you  cannot  change 
God's  work  by  simply  taking  that  paper  from  me. 
I  feel  that  God  has  given  me  authority  which  man 
has  no  right  to  demand,  and  under  which  I  expect, 
through  "  much  tribulation,"  to  preach  till  mortal- 
ity shall  pass  away.  But,  dear  brethren  and  sisters, 
suffer  me,  in  love  to  say  that  you  have  committed 
a  gross  error  by  excluding  me  after  my  withdrawal 
from  your  sect.  Old  Bro.  Douthitt  (God  bless 
him!)  committed  a  great  error  when  he  charged 
me  with  breaking  my  church  covenant.  You,  also, 
as  a  church,  committed  the  same  offense  when 
you  voted  to  favor  the  move. 

I  stand  innocent  of  "the  great  transgression," 
and  I  cannot  believe  that  God  will  prosper  you  as 


FURTHER    EXPERIENCES,    ETC.  1 29 

a  church  while  you  retain  a  false  charge  against 
any  brother.  I  request,  for  the  good  of  the  cause, 
that  you  require  Bro.  Douthitt  to  prove  that  I  am 
guilty.  I  had  expected  to  meet  him  in  the  Asso- 
ciation, but  will  be  prevented  by  some  funerals. 
I  request  that  this  letter  be  read  in  the  Association, 
and,  for  the  good  of  the  cause,  that  that  body  re- 
quire Bro.  Douthitt  to  prove  that  I  am  guilty  of  the 
charge.  I  will  meet  Bro.  Douthitt,  or  any  brother, 
who  will  try  to  prove  that  I  broke  the  covenant. 

Brethren,  you  cannot  take  my  Bible ;  you  can- 
not turn  me  out  of  my  blessed  Jesus.  You  may 
fight  the  truth  in  this  world,  but  by  grace  I  shall 
meet  you  in  the  judgment  soon  to  come.  God 
grant  that  you  may  be  ready  to  enter  the  kingdom 
with  me.      Then  we  will  see  who  is  right. 

Yours  in  the  Lord,      JOHN  A.  CaRGILE. 

Stevenson,  Ala.,  July  18,  1873. 

There  were  many  tears  shed  when  I  read  the 
letter.  My  prediction  has  thus  far  proven  true. 
That  church  is  more  than  half  the  time  without  a 
pastor,  and  but  very  few  have  been  added  by  bap- 
tism. The  curse  of  God  rests  on  her  and  always 
will  till  they  retract  that  false  charge.  I  have 
noticed  that  the  hand  of  God  is  against  any  church 
or  people  who  reject  or  fight  the  truth.  They 
may  increase  in  numbers,  but  seldom  in  spiritual- 
ity and  true  devotion. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

MINISTERS  COMBINE  TO  RUIN  CARGILE  AND   STOP 
HIS    WORK    IN    ARKANSAS. 

The  second  Sunday  in  April,  1872,  I  visited  the 
brethren  at  Forks  of  Crow  Creek,  where  I  first 
joined  the  Baptists. 

Uncle  Sam  Beene  was  pastor  of  the  church  at 
that  place  and  kindly  insisted  that  I  should  preach. 
I  spoke  on  the  subject  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ. 
I  endeavored  to  show  that  it  was  yet  future,  and 
would  be  under  the  whole  heavens.  Bro.  Beene 
followed  me,  and  treated  me  and  the  subject  very 
kindly.  He  asked  one  Dr.  L.  B.  Quackenbo,  a 
Methodist  minister,  to  pray  at  the  close.  Among 
other  things  he  said,  "O  Lord,  we  thank  thee  that 
thou  didst  tell  the  thief  that  he  should  be  with  thee 
tJiat  day  in  paradise.  We  thank  thee  that  thou 
hast  delivered  us  from  the  power  of  darkness  and 
translated  us  into  the  kingdom  of  thy  dear  Son." 

When  he  finished  his  prayer,  or  I  should  define 
it  more  properly  by  saying  his  sermon  to  the 
Lord,  I  knew  that  some  of  the  people  thought  he 
had,  in  that  cunning  way,  demolished  my  future 


MINISTERS  COMBINE  TO  RUIN  CARGILE.      131 

kingdom  theor)\  I  rose  from  my  knees  and 
asked  permission  to  speak  again.  Bro.  Beene 
kindly  granted  my  request.  I  told  the  people  that 
a  man  could  preach  a  great  deal  in  his  prayers ; 
that  I  did  not  see  any  use  of  telling  the  Lord  such 
things,  for  if  they  are  true  he  knows  it  without  our 
telling  him.  If  they  are  not  true,  we  cannot 
change  the  Lord's  mind.  I  then  replied  to  his 
prayed  criticism. 

As  soon  as  the  benediction  was  pronounced, 
the  doctor  came  to  me  and  said,  "I  want  you  to 
go  home  with  me  to-night,  for  I  have  a  crow  to 
pick  with  you."  I  told  him,  "All  right;  as  I 
have  a  bag  to  hold  the  feathers,  I  will  go,  sir."  I 
spent  the  night  very  pleasantly  with  him  and  his 
kind,  Christian  wife.  Just  before  retiring  for  the 
night  he  mentioned  that  some  other  man  had  re- 
fused to  meet  me  in  debate,  and  said  he,  '*  I  will 
meet  you,  sir,  and  discuss  these  questions." 

His  wife  said  in  amazement,  "Now  look  here. 
Doctor,  is  that  what  you  brought  this  man  home 
with  you  for?"  He  told  her  that  he  meant  no 
harm  at  all,  but  that  he  believed  I  was  wrong,  and 
that  he  could  show  me  my  error.  I  told  him  I 
was  not  prepared  to  argue  with  him.  That  he 
was  a  man  of  age,  and  his  education  was  superior 
to  mine,  and  that  I  could  not  take  time  from  nn- 
daily  labor  to  prepare  to  meet   him.      But  said  L 


132    AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

"When  I  have  finished  my  crop  and  have  a  Httle 
time  to  read  up,  you  may  hear  from  me."  "All 
right,"  said  he  ;  "  any  time  when  you  are  ready." 
On  the  first  day  of  September  following  I  wrote 
him  that  I  was  ready  for  him,  and  that  he  could 
name  the  time  and  place  for  the  discussion.  The 
result  will  be  seen  by  reading  rny  first  letter  to  the 
Crisis  of  Oct.  2,  1872. 

INTERESTING    LETTER. 

Bro.  Grant:  —  By  some  means  the  Crisis  has 
been  coming  to  me  since  last  November.  I  do 
not  know  who  was  so  kind  as  to  order  it.  I  intend 
to  send  you  the  pay  for  it  as  soon  as  I  can  possibly 
spare  the  money  from  my  family.  It  is  the  most 
welcome  visitor  (together  with  the  Bible  Banner) 
I  can  receive,  and  comes  every  Monday  as  regu- 
larly as  the  day  comes,  and  I  always  become  im- 
patient waiting  for  the  week  to  pass  and  bring  it 
to  me.  I  really  love  the  blessed  truths  with  which 
its  columns  always  abound. 

Perhaps  you  remember  hearing  of  a  contem- 
plated discussion  on  the  nature  of  future  punish- 
ment. I  accepted  the  challenge  by  letter,  made 
by  the  brother  in  person,  and  he  replied  to  my 
note  of  acceptance  in  the  following  rough  style, 
which  I  hope  you  will  give  a  place  in  your  worthy 


MINISTERS  COMBINE  TO  RUIN  CARGILE.      I  33 

columns,  together  with  my  answer,  that  the  breth- 
ren may  see  what  one  in  these  ends  of  the  earth 
has  to  bear  for  the  sake  of  Christ  and  his  blessed 
word.  Through  courtesy  to  my  brother  I  will 
withhold  his  name.     His  note  is  as  follows : 

"Anderson,  Tenn.,  Sept.  4,  1872. 
Rev.  Jno.  Cargile  —  Dear  Sir — Your  favor 
of  the  1st  inst.  is  to  hand.  In  answer  I  would  say 
that  the  proposition  I  made  to  debate  with  you,, 
etc.,  was  not  made  in  seriousness,  but  was  only  a 
little  pleasantry.  I  cannot  think  of  such  a  thing 
now. 

1 .  I  do  not  think  it  would  be  productive  of  any 
good. 

2.  I  have  not  got  the  time. 

3.  I  cannot  consent  to  debate  with  you  unless 
you  were  better  endorsed  by  your  church  and  the 
community  at  large. 

4.  I  would  dislik^  to  discuss  religious  topics 
with  a  man  who  is  identified  with  a  semi-infidel 
party  at  the  North  who  deny  the  doctrine  of  the 
immortality  of  the  soul,  and  the  future  punishment 
of  the  wicked  ;  who  believe  in  free-loveism,  and 
repudiate  the  King  James'  translation  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, etc.,  etc. 

For  you  personally  I  wish  to  entertain  kind 
and  friendly  feelings,  but  your  '  damnable  heresies' 


134    autobio(;aphv  of  john  a.  cargile. 

(St.  Paul)  I  hate,  and  will  do  all  I  can  to  put  them 
down.     Yours,"  etc. 

On  the  back  of  his  note  he  says : 

•'  I  have  kept  a  copy  of  this.  I  will  not  make 
this  matter  public  unless  you  desire  it,  or  do  so 
first  yourself." 

I  replied  to  the  above  letter  as  follows : 

"Stevenson,  Ala.,  Sept.  9,  1872. 
Dearly  Beloved  Brother: — Your  very  in- 
teresting letter  of  the  4th  inst.  is  at  hand,  and  con- 
tents noted.  In  reply  would  say  the 'pleasantry' 
with  which  you  say  you  made  the  challenge  was 
not  a  proper  way  to  treat  a  serious  subject,  and 
especially  one  in  which  God's  truth  is  involved; 
and  also  that '  pleasantry,'  as  you  call  It,  is  not  a 
very  beautiful  ornament  for  a  minister  of  Jesus  in 
vindicating  his  tnitJi.  I  will  now  reply  to  your 
excuses,  and  number  them  in  the  order  in  which 
you  made  them. 

1.  It  would  undoubtedly  be  productive  of  good 
to  let  the  people  see  both  sides  of  the  argument, 
and  thus  find  which  of  us  is  on  the  side  of  truth. 

2.  You  should  always  have  time  to  spare  from 
wordly  pursuits  to  defend  the  truth,  if  you  preach 
it. 

3.  You  prove  plainly  to  me  that  you  do  not 
understand    the  usages  of   my  church.     With   us 


MrNISTERS  COMBINE  TO  RUIN  CARGILE.      I  35 

(Baptists)  every  church  is  an  independent  body, 
not  under  any  obHgations  to  or  control  of  any 
other  cliurch.  If  you  do  not  think  I  am  endorsed 
by  my  churches  for  whom  I  preach  you  are  inis- 
takcn.  As  to  being  '  endorsed  by  the  community 
at  large,'  I  do  not  think  from  what  I  can  learn  that 
either  of  us  has  anything  of  which  to  boast  in  that 
line. 

4.  The  word  'infidel'  without  the  prefix  'semi' 
is  an  assertion  without  any  foundation  whatever. 
I  am  able  to  prove  that  the  '  God-dishonoring 
doctrine'  of 'eternal  torment'  has  made  more  infi- 
dels than  anything  else.  As  to  denying  the  doc- 
trine of  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  thank  God  I 
do  deny  it,  and  I  know  that  I  am  able  to  establish 
it  despite  all  contradiction. 

You  are  pleased  —  in  'pleasantry,'  I  suppose  —  to 
call  it  a  Northern  heresy.  I  will  just  say  that  one 
of  my  Bibles  was  published  in  London,  and  the 
other  by  the  Southern  Publishing  Co.  of  Memphis, 
Tenn.  They  both  contain  the  doctrine.  If  I  were 
you  I  would  declare  non-fellowship  with  the  South 
for  selling  such  books. 

In  reference  to  future  punishment,  you  again 
prove  to  me  that  you  are  ignorant  of  the  doctrines 
I  preach.  I  believe  in  a  future  punishment,  and 
an  eternal  punishment,  too,  but  not  '  eternal  tor- 
ment.'     The  accusation  of  free-loveism   I  declare 


136  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  A.  CARGILE. 

positively  to  be  a  false  charge,  for  I  am  able  to 
prove  that  the  doctrines  I  preach  will  kill  Spirit- 
ualism, of  which  '  free-loveism'  is  a  prominent 
ingredient. 

You  say  I  repudiate  the  King  James'  Version. 
I  deny  it,  and  I  am  willing  to  meet  you  on  that 
'Authorized  Version.'  In  the  language  of  Mark 
12:  24,  I  will  say  —  'Ye  do  err,  not  knowing  the 
Scriptures,'  or  you  would  never  apply  the  phrase 
'  damnable  heresy'  to  my  preaching. 

In  conclusion,  let  me  say  (though  I  am  only 
twenty-eight  years  old,  and  two  years  and  a  half 
in  the  ministry),  with  all  due  reverence  for  your 
gray  locks,  that  I  received  the  challenge  to  debate 
as  cold  earnest,  and  I  accepted  it  in  the  same  spirit. 

Dear  brother,  I  have  always  loved  you,  and 
always  will,  for  it  is  a  part  of  true  religion  to  love 
even  those  who  abuse  us ;  and,  thank  the  Lord, 
there  is  a  spirit  of  divine  love  in  my  bosom  which 
prompts  me  to  love  everybody  ;  and  I  am  sure  you 
need  have  no  fear  of  insulting  me;  but  if  I  were 
you,  I  do  believe  I  would  not  hesitate  to  defend 
my  faith.  (?)  As  to  keeping  this  matter  a  secret, 
as  you  say  on  the  back  of  your  letter,  let  me  say 
that  I  have  no  secrets  in  religious  matters,  and  I 
have  reserved  a  copy  of  this,  and  expect  to  have 
them  both  published;  but  if  you  desire  it  I  will 
withhold  your  name. 


MINISTERS  COMBINE  TO  RUIN  CARGILE.      I  37 

Now  my  beloved  brother  (if  you  will  let  me  love 
you),  let  me  advise  you  never  to  challenge  another 
young  minister  for  a  debate,  for  he  might  be  fool 
enough  to  accept  it,  and  cause  you  the  trouble  of 
claw- fishing.  I  pray  God  to  bless  you  and  your 
family,  whom  I  love,  and  may  He  enable  you  to 
see  and  love  the  truth  in  preference  to  tradition. 
I  hope  I  am  your  loving  brother  in  Christ, 

John  A.  Cargile." 

Thus  it  will  be  seen,  by  noticing  the  above  let- 
ters, that  things  here  are  assuming  a  very  critical 
phase  —  theologically.  I  have  been  struggling 
hard  for  the  truth  for  nearly  three  years,  but  God's 
grace  has  been  sufficient  for  me,  for  by  his  grace 
I  am  what  I  am. 

Dear  brethren  and  sisters,  pray  for  me  when  it 
goes  well  with  you.  I  am  hopefully  looking  for 
the  speedy  coming  of  my  dear  Jesus  to  save  his 
persecuted  and  trusting  people  in  the  kingdom 
prepared  for  them  "from  the  foundation  of  the 
world."  Oh,  may  he  soon  come  with  power  and 
great  glory,  and  may  we  be  prepared  to  enter  into 
eternal  life  with  him.      Even  so,  come,  Lord  Jesus. 

Bro.  Grant: — The  Lord  bless  your  efforts  to 
spread  the  truth  by  your  valuable  paper,  and  other 
means  which  you  are  using. 

J.  A.  Cargile. 


138     AUTOBIOGRArilY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

When  I  received  the  above  letter  I  sent  it  im- 
mediately to  the  Doctor.  Before  it  reached  him, 
I  received  his  letter,  as  follows : 

"Anderson,  Tenn.,  Nov.  2,  1872. 
Elder  J.  A.  Cargile,  Loving  Bro. — Yours 
of  the  9th  of  Sept.  is  at  hand,  and  I  have  waited 
some  time  to  see  if  you  would  publish  those  let- 
ters before  I  answered  your  last  letter  to  me.  As 
you  have  not  enlightened  the  public  by  having  the 
great  letter  you  wrote  me  printed,  in  so  far  as  I  am 
informed,  I  have  concluded  to  answer  it.  Should 
you  hereafter  feel  compelled  to  give  it  to  the 
world  in  print,  then  I  may  feel  inclined  to  say  a 
few  words  to  add  a  little  to  yowx  great  glory  in  my 
feeble  way.  That  letter  of  yours  ought  to  be  pub- 
lished and  Qvencationij^edhy  you  and  placed  among 
your  sacred  books,  Diaglott,  and  other  precious 
records.  Your  high  estimate  of  it  has  induced 
you  to  lay  aside  your  large  stock  of  charity  for 
me  ;  your  own  modesty  and  delicacy  in  the  matter  ; 
and  caused  you  to  carry  it  around  the  neighbor- 
hood and  show  it  to  various  persons,  together  with 
the  letter  I  wrote  you,  to  which  yours  is  an  answer. 
Of  course  a  man  oi  your  parts,  having  made  new 
discoveries  in  the  Bible  and  learned  much  more  of 
Christianity  than  we  common  people  ;  and  having 
much  charity  and    love   (feigned)    for    your  Bro. 


MINISTERS  COMBINE  TO  RUIN  CARGILE.      I  39 

Quackenbo  as  expressed  in  the  aforesaid  letter, 
would  not  misrepresent  or  injure  him  in  his  ab- 
sence. Was  it  for  your  glory  and  preferment  or 
his  discredit  that  you  exhibited  the  letters?  Per- 
haps you  designed  both.  Very  well ;  you  are 
welcome  to  all  you  can  make  of  them.  Of  course 
no  person  knew  of  the  existence  of  the  letters  un- 
til you  showed  them  around. 

I  have  other  reasons  which  I  wish  to  give  for 
declining  to  enter  into  a  debate  with  you.  You 
are  neither  a  gentleman  nor  a  Christian,  in  my 
opinion.  I  am  sorry  to  have  to  say  this  to  you. 
Why  do  I  say  this  ?  Because  I  heard  you  tell  a 
deliberate  falsehood  on  two  ministers  of  another 
Christian  denomination,  Brothers  Pilgrim  and 
Faithful,  in  that  you  said  they  had  tried  to  induce 
you  to  leave  the  Baptist  Church  and  join  their 
church.  You  said  they  offered  to  send  you  to 
school  and  make  2^.  great  man  out  of  you  (bah/) 
if  you  would  join  them.  This  you  said  they  did 
at  the  house  of  B.  O.  Cowan,  last  summer  was  a 
year  ago,  during  their  protracted  meeting  at  Boli- 
var. These  statements  you  made  at  the  house  of 
N.  Hackworth  in  the  presence  of  N.  Hackworth, 
Maj.  O'Neal,  myself  and  others,  last  spring.  I  be- 
lieved it  false  then,  now  I  am  satisfied  of  it.  I 
asked  Bro.  Faithful  and  he  said  it  was  false  so  far 
as  he  was  concerned.      Afterwards  he   told  me  he 


140     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

had  consulted  Bro.  Pilgrim,  who  pronounced  it 
false  in  toto.  He  said  he  also  asked  Mr.  Hack- 
worth  about  it,  who  told  him  the  same  that  I  had 
stated  to  him.  I  have  other  evidences  of  your 
want  of  Christian  integrity,  but  I  forbear  to  mention 
them. 

Now  I  am  truly  sorry  to  write  thus  to  you  or 
any  one.  I  do  not  want  to  expose  you  or  hurt 
you  in  any  way.  Sorry  you  have  gone  oft"  with 
this  new  thing,  and  ruined  yourself  with  a  large 
majority  of  the  people.  Sorry  that  you  are  so 
fickle  and  wanting  in  integrity  and  firmness.  You 
say  in  your  letter  yon  want  to  love  me,  etc.  I  say 
Amen  to  that.  I  want  to  love  you,  and  do  cultivate 
kind  and  Christian  feelings  toward  you.  I  hope 
you  will  get  to  the  good  world  and  that  I  may 
meet  you  there. 

You  say  in  your  letter  that  I  have  enemies,  or 
something  to  that  eft*ect.  That  is  admitted.  I 
have  no  more  friends  than  I  need,  and  more 
enemies  than  I  want.  Such  is  the  case  with  min- 
isters generally.  But  I  will  not  sacrifice  principle 
for  the  sake  of  friendship.  I  had  rather  be  sacri- 
ficed myself  than  sacrifice  my  principles. 

Now  I  close,  wishing  you  well.  If  you  have 
anything  farther  to  say,  please  address  me  at  An- 
derson, or  I  will  meet  you  as  a  friend  and  talk  over 
the  matter.      I  am  satisfied  you   have  wronged  me 


MINISTERS  COMBINE  TO  RUIN  CARGILE.      141 

and  tried  to  injure  me.  You  have  gotten  angry 
with  me  without  sufficient  cause  ;  but  I  will  over- 
look that,  and  still  be  friendl)\ 

Yours  respectfully,  L.  B.  Quackenbo." 

I  have  certificates  of  character  given  by  my 
neighbors  without  my  solicitation,  and  among  them 
Bro,  Faithful's  name  is  to  be  found,  which  shows 
that  he  did  not  regard  me  in  the  light  of  the  above 
letter. 

Having  received  my  communication,  in  which  I 
sent  him  some  charts  on  prophecy  as  well  as  my 
letter  to  the  Crisis,  he  wrote  me  the  following 
letter : 

Anderson,  Tenn.,  Nov.  5,  1872. 
"Elder  Cargile:  —  After  writing  you  a  letter 
on  last  Saturday  I  received  your  paper  and  other 
documents  on  Monday  evening,  and  return  you 
my  compliments  for  the  same.  You  will  receive 
further  attention  hereafter.  As  to  the  charts,  all 
about  them  that  has  any  sense  in  it  I  read  in  other 
works  on  the  Prophecies  years  ago.  I  have  had 
the  pleasure  of  reading  several  able  authors  on  the 
Prophecies,  and  don't  think  it  likely  that  j'our  man 
will  ever  enlighten  me  much.  As  to  his  miserabl)' 
written  letter,  he  has  scratched  on  one  of  them, 
I  have  underscored  each  word  spelt  wrong,  that 


14-2  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  A.  CARGILE. 

you  may  notice  for  yourself.  Please  return  it  to 
him  for  me,  with  my  advice  that  he  immediately 
start  to  school,  and  study  Webster's  Spelling  Book 
before  he  writes  any  more  charts.  For  such  a 
guvip  as  he  is  to  be  writing  on  Prophecy,  as 
you  say  of  me  in  your  ''great"  letter,  it  ottly 
shows  his  ignorance.  Poor  miserable  danderhead, 
he  only  excites  my  contempt  and  pity. 

Respectfully,  L.  B.  QuACKENBO." 

The  reader  will  notice  that  in  the  above  letter 
the  Reverend  Doctor  italicized  \\\q  words  ''further 
attention  Jiereafterr  Three  years  afterward  he 
gave  that  promised  attention,  as  we  shall  see. 

I  replied  to  his  two  letters  as  follows : 

"Stevenson,  Ala.,  Nov.  6,  1872. 
L.  B.  QuACKENBO,  Anderson,  Tenn. 

Dear  Brother: — I  received  yours  of  Nov.  2nd 
and  5th  this  morning.  In  reply  would  say  that  if 
you  can  be  of  any  benefit  to  the  public  by  tale- 
bearing, and  cannot  find  a  more  unworthy  object 
on  which  to  glut  your  spite  than  your  humble 
servant,  just  pitch  in;  there  is  nobody  scared  but 
you.  In  reference  to  the  report  you  started,  I  will 
say  that  the  conversation  took  place  between  Bro. 
Pilgrim  and  myself,  at  Bolivar  Church.  I  never 
said   it  was  at  B.  O.  Cowan's.      I   nei'er  said  Bro. 


MINISTERS  COMBINE  TO  RUIN  CARGILE.      1 43 

Faithful  had  anything  to  say  in  it,  and  I  defy  you 
to  prove  it.  I  am  responsible  for  anything  I  say. 
I  did  say  that  Bro.  Pilgrim  told  me,  if  I  would 
leave  the  Baptists  and  join  their  church  they  would 
educate  me  and  make  a  preacher  (not  a  man,  as 
you  say)  of  me.  He  did  say  it,  and  I  do  not  take 
it  back.  I  had  no  intention  of  injuring  you  by 
showing  your  letter,  I  merely  wished  to  show  you 
that  I  had  no  secrets  in  religious  matters ;  and 
when  my  friends  would  tell  me  of  your  big  sermon 
here  on  the  third  Sunday  in  August,  I  showed  the 
letters  to  prove  that  you  would  not  defend  it.  Be- 
fore I  showed  your  letter  or  told  any  one,  you  had 
told  it  at  Mount  Carmel,  and  to  Uncle  Joe  Thomas  ; 
or  at  least  that  was  the  news  I  got  from  that  com- 
munity. I  thought  this  started  in  defense  of  truth, 
but  you  are  trying  to  make  a  personal  thing  of  it, 
so  far  as  character  is  concerned.  Well,  I  don't 
care.  I  am  willing  you  should  regard  me  as 
neither  a  gentleman  nor  a  Christian  ;  but  I  want 
you  to  know  that  when  I  preach  a  new  doctrine  I 
will  defend  it.  In  reference  to  sending  your  mes- 
sage to  Bro.  Perrin,  I  suggest  that  you  tell  your 
own  tales  and  pay  your  own  postage,  and  thus 
bear  your  own  burden.  If  it  is  any  great  disgrace 
to  spell  incorrectly,  call  on  me  the  first  time  you 
pass  this  way  and  I  will  show  you  some  errors  in 
your  letter.     Now,  brother,  as  an  humble  follower 


144     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

of  the  despised  Jesus,  I  will  say  that  I  love  }'ou  as 
a  Christian,  and  I  hope  if  you  have  any  more  to 
say  that  you  will  make  free  to  sa}'  it ;  but  I  would 
advise  you  neither  to  add  to  nor  take  from,  and  be 
sure  you  can  prove  what  you  sa)-. 
Your  loving  brother  in  Christ, 

John  A.  Cargile." 

"P.  S. —  If  we  would  not  be  injured  by  the 
showing  of  our  letters  around  the  neighborhood, 
we  must  not  write  anything  in  them  that  is  calcu- 
lated to  injure  us,  or  that  we  would  be  afraid  for 
the  world  to  know.  J.   A.  C." 

This  ended  our  controversy  for  the  time  being, 
and  I  thought  no  more  of  it  only  to  remember  that 
he   had  promised   me  '^further  attention  hereafter." 

In  1874  I  went  to  the  state  of  Arkansas. 
(By  special  act  of  the  Legislature,  pronounced 
Arkansaw.)  I  held  meetings  in  the  little  village 
of  De  View,  in  Woodruff  County.  I  had  pleasant 
homes  with  Drs,  E.  O.  Grigsby,  G.  B.  Fakes, 
John  O.  Raymond,  H.  Smith,  and  others.  There 
was  great  interest  manifested  in  the  meetings  and 
I  promised  to  return. 

In  November,  1875,  I  received  a  very  short 
letter  from  Dr.  Grigsby,  saying:  "There  is  slan- 
der against  you  here,  and  if  you  don't  come  and 
face  it,  you  are  not  the  man  we  took  you  to  be." 


MINISTERS  COMBINE  TO  RUIN  CARGILE.      1 45 

I  was  overwhelmed  with  astonishment.  What 
could  it  mean?  Three  days  passed  and  I  started 
for  Arkansas,  not  knowing  what  I  had  to  meet  or 
who  was  the  author  of  the  slander. 

As  I  passed  Bass,  eight  miles  from  my  home,  I 
saw  Dr.  L.  B.  Ouackenbo  standing  at  the  depot. 
Raising  my  window  I  called  to  him,  "Good  bye, 
Doctor  ;  I  am  off  for  Arkansas  ;  pray  for  me."  I 
had  no  idea  then  that  he  was  to  be  the  chief  in  the 
battle  before  me. 

When  I  arrived  in  De  View  I  made  my  way  to 
Dr.  Grigsby's  house,  who,  when  he  saw  me  coming 
up  to  his  gate,  called  out,  "Rats,  to  your  holes." 
I  asked,  "What  does  that  mean,  Doctor?"  He 
laughed  and  said,  "There  won't  be  a  Methodist 
preacher  on  the  streets  while  you  stay.  There  are 
three  of  them  here,  and  they  have  something 
smuggled  among  themselves.  They  say  you  are 
a  terrible  fellow,  and  that  they  have  documents  to 
show  you  up  if  you  ever  come  back ;  but  if  you 
stayed  away  they  would  let  it  die  out." 

After  resting  a  few  minutes  we  started  out  in 
search  of  the  concealed  document.  We  found  one 
of  the  preachers.  Dr.  S.  K.  Longfellow,  in  a  store 
with  more  than  half  a  dozen  other  men.  I  ap- 
proached him  very  socially,  extending  my  hand,  say- 
ing, "Good  morning,  Doctor;  how  do  you  do?  I 
understand,  sir,  that  you  have  a  document  damag- 


146     AUTOBIOGRArilV    OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

ing  to  my  character."  He  replied,  "Well,  yes,  I 
have."  I  answered,  "Well,  sir,  I  have  traveled 
four  hundred  miles  to  see  it ;  let  me  have  it."  He 
drew  a<paper  from  his  breast  pocket  and  handed  it 
to  me.  I  had  no  idea  what  it  contained  or  whose 
name  was  attached  to  it ;  but  as  T  opened  the 
paper  I  said,  "Gentlemen,  I  have  no  secrets  in  the 
matter,  and  I  will  read  it  to  )'Ou." 

I  wish  all  my  readers  could  have  looked  into  the 
face  of  that  minister,  and  seen  his  expression  when 
I  said  that.  You  see,  I  was  about  to  "let  the  cat 
out"  which  those  three  preachers  had  so  long 
smuggled  as  such  a  wonderful  "cat  in  the  bag." 
When  I  began  to  read  the  document  I  found  a  lie, 
at  the  start.  Pausing,  I  said,  "Doctor,  have  you 
a  pencil?"  On  seeing  him  take  one  from  his 
pocket,  I  continued,  "Now  I  will  tell  you  every  lie 
and  every  truth  in  it,  and  you  mark  them  down." 
I  then  read  the  document,  which  I  now  give  entire 
and  verbatim,  as  follows  : 

"TO  ALL  WHOM  IT  MAY  CONCERN. 
Greeting  : 

This  is  to  certify  that  I  am  acquainted  with  Eld. 
John  A.  Cargile,  of  Jackson  Co.,  Ala.,  who  now 
resides  near  the  town  of  Stevenson  in  said  county. 
That  Cargile  has  a  small  farm,  and  owns  some 
property    in    stocks    of  cattle,    horses,  hogs,  and 


MINISTERS  COMBINE  TO  RUIN  CARGILE.      I  47 

Other  things  usually  found  about  farms,  and  able 
to  live  free  from  want.  Further;  I  testify  that 
said  Cargile  holds  an  office  under  the  radical  ad- 
ministration at  Washington  City  (being  P.  M.  at 
Stevenson,  Ala.),  worth  about  $300  per  annum. 
Furthermore,  said  Cargile  was  first  a  secessionist 
in  the  war,  afterward  he  turned  Union  man  and 
was  very  strong  in  his  Union  sentiments  and  feel- 
ings ;  that  he  reported  southern  men  to  the  Fed- 
eral army  as  Bushwhackers  who  were  not,  and 
they  were  arrested  and  imprisoned  and  their  lives 
endangered  by  these  false  reports.  That  after  the 
war  he  belonged  to  the  Union  League,  and  is  now 
a  strong  Radical  and  supports  that  party  all  he 
can,  and  holds  an  office  under  Gen.  Grant.  That 
he  was  in  favor  of  hanging  Gen.  Lee,  Jeff".  Davis, 
and  all  the  Rebel  Leaders,  and  disfranchising  for- 
ever all  Rebels;  and  gave  utterance  to  these  senti- 
ments publicly,  in  a  Union  meeting  held  soon 
after  the  war  in  the  town  of  Stevenson.  That  in 
consequence  of  these  things  and  his  general  bad 
conduct,  it  is  said  that  the  said  John  A.  Cargile 
had  a  visit  from  the  red  men  of  the  moon  after 
night,  and  barely  saved  himself  by  flight  to  the 
mountains  near  b}'.  Some  say  that  he  was  badl\' 
whipped  by  the  Klu  Klux  for  his  bad  conduct,  etc. 
I  certify,  furthermore,  that  said  Cargile  first  joined 
the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church  ;    that  he  left 


148     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

that  church  and  joined  the  Primitive,  or  Hardshell 
Baptist  Church,  and  was  first  authorized  by  this 
church  to  preach  and  afterward  ordained  by  them, 
and  was  for  several  years  a  Hardshell  Baptist 
preacher.  That  he  quit  the  Baptists  and  went 
over  to  the  Adventists,  and  that  the  Baptists  then 
expelled  him  for  his  faith  and  published  him  to 
the  world  for  his  bad  conduct  among  them.  That 
the  Adventists  were  first  introduced  to  this  country 
by  a  man  and  woman,  both  from  Boston,  Mass., 
and  both  were  preachers,  and  that  negroes  were  in 
attendance  in  large  numbers  at  their  meetings. 
That  one  of  their  preachers  since  then  came  out 
publicly  in  favor  of  negro  equality,  and  said  that 
negroes  and  white  people  ought  to  sit  together  in 
church,  etc.  I  further  certify  that  said  Cargile  is 
not  now  recognized  here  as  a  regular  minister  of 
the  gospel  in  good  standing  by  other  denomina- 
tions. Lastly,  I  am  ready  and  willing  to  substan- 
tiate these  facts  by  other  witnesses  if  necessary. 

L.    B.     QUACKENBO." 
Anderson,  Franklin   Co.,    Tenn. 

When  I  had  finished  reading  the  above  state- 
ment, the  gentlemen  in  the  store  gazed  at  me  with 
faces  expressive  of  suspicion  mingled  with  pity.  I 
then  addressed  the  crowd : 

"Gentlemen,  I  am   a  stranger  among  you;    the 


MINISTERS  COMBINE  TO  RUIN  CARGILE.      1  49 

man  whose  name  I  find  signed  to  this  paper  is  a 
Methodist  minister,  a  Free  Mason  and  a  physician. 
/  do  not  say  he  has  hed  ;  but  I  promise  you  that 
I  will  stay  here  till  somebody  else  in  my  own 
country  tells  you  that  he  has.  Good  day,  gentle- 
men." 

The  Doctor  said,  "Oh,  hold  on;  that  is  inj' 
paper."  I  told  him:  "Please,  sir,  I  have  it  now." 
Said  he,  both  of  us  advancing  toward  the  door, 
"  Let  me  have  it,  and  I  will  give  you  a  copy  of  it." 
I  replied,  "Please,  sir  I  will  gwe  yon  a  copy  of  it." 
Soon  we  were  both  provided  with  a  copy  of  the 
celebrated  document,  which  may  still  be  in  some 
preacher's  library.  But  I  am  never  ashamed  of 
any  of  my  work  as  a  minister  of  Jesus.  This  auto- 
biography would  be  incomplete  without  this 
"Clerical  Scandal,"  as  the  Irish  brother  calls  it  in 
the  poem  which  follows  at  the  close  of  this  story. 

Returning  to  Dr.  Grigsby's  house,  I  rested 
quietly  till  next  day,  then  I  started  on  a  little  gray 
mule  through  the  rain  and  mud  to  Bro.  John  Ra}'- 
mond's.  My  blue  cape  given  me  on  Alton  Bay 
campground,  by  Bro.  H.  K.  Choatc,  not  only 
sheltered  me  from  the  rain  but  completely  covered 
the  little  mule  except  its  head  and  tail. 

Passing  a  little  log  cabin  in  the  swamp,  my 
mule  occasionally  rubbing  my  foot  against  the 
fence  to  keep  out  of  the  terrible  mud,  and  going 


150    AUTOBIOGRAPHY   0¥  JOHN    A.    CARGILE, 

very  slowly,  I  heard  the  heavy  iron  fire-shovel  fall 
on  the  hearth,  a  chair  tumble  over  on  the  floor, 
and  little  feet  running.  Turning  my  head,  I  saw 
a  little  boy  coming  to  the  door  at  break-neck 
speed.  When  he  got  squarely  in  the  door,  he 
stretched  both  hands  as  far  as  he  could  in  oppo- 
site directions,  horizontally,  and  yelled  at  the  top 
of  his  voice,  "  Yonder' s  Tardiy  I  was  pleased  to 
see  the  little  fello-.v  so  excited,  and  on  my  return 
in  the  afternoon  I  called  to  see  the  child  and  to 
learn  why  he  was  so  interested.  His  mother  told 
me  the  story,  which  I  relate  in  substance.  The 
preachers  had  talked  and  preached  so  much  about 
"  Cargile"  that  the  people  were  all  interested,  and 
everybody  was  talking  about  what  times  there 
would  be  if  Cargile  ever  came  back.  Now  the 
news  had  spread  like  wildfire  a  few  days  before, 
"Cargile  is  coming,  sure  enough."  On  Sunday 
before,  several  children  were  there  visiting,  and 
were  all  at  play  in  the  yard  on  the  wood-pile,  and 
of  course  the  preachers'  trouble  being  the  topic  of 
the  day  in  the  neighborhood,  the  children  began 
to  talk  about  what  times  there  would  be  when 
Cargile  came.  The  mother  overheard  them 
through  the  little  open  window  beside  the  fireplace. 
By  and  by  one  little  girl  said,  "Well,  I  wonder 
what  kind  of  a  thing  Cargile  is  any  way."  Another 
little  girl  about  twelve  years  old,  said,"  Why,  I  don't 


MINISTERS  COMBINE  TO  RUIN  CARGILE.      I  5  I 

know,  but  I  thought  it  was  a  man."  Another 
said,  "No,  it  is  not  a  man  ;  but  I  don't  know  what 
it  is."  They  concluded  to  ask  the  mother,  and 
the  oldest  girl,  running  to  the  door,  said,  "O 
mamma,  what  is  Cargile?"  She  explained  to  them 
that  it  was  a  man,  and  a  preacher.  So  when  the 
mother  looked  from  the  kitchen  and  saw  me  pass- 
ing, she  spoke  to  the  children,  saying,  "Now, 
children,  you  can  see  what  Cargile  is,  for  he  is 
passing."  This  caused  the  racket  around  the  fire- 
place, while  it  was  being  hastily  evacuated  by  the 
children  who  rushed  to  the  door  to  see  me. 

On  Sunday  following  there  was  a  wonderful 
crowd  out  to  hear  me.  The  excitement  was  at 
the  highest  pitch.  "Is  Cargile  a  gentleman  or  a 
rascal?"  That  was  soon  to  be  settled.  At  the 
close  of  the  sermon  I  made  a  statement  and  read 
the  charges  against  myself,  and  told  the  people 
that  I  had  written  for  testimony  and  should  remain 
till  it  came.  My  friend,  Dr.  Grigsby,  had  written 
a  letter  "to  any  lawyer  or  physician,"  in  my  own 
town,  and  also  had  written  to  the  officers  of  m)' 
county,  and  had  received  papers  giving  him  per- 
fect satisfaction,  before  he  ever  wrote  for  me  to 
come  back.  He  had  not  told  me  that  he  had  such 
certificates,  and  I  thought  I  was  alone  in  a  strange 
land  and  had  to  send  home  and  await  the  move- 
ment of  the  mail   department    to  defend    myself. 


152     AUTOBIOGAPHY   OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

Taking  from  his  pocket  a  large  envelope,  he  tossed 
it  on  the  table  where  I  stood,  saying,  "There,  read 
that."  I  read  the  following  letters,  which  was  the 
first  I  knew  of  their  existence  : 

Stevenson,  Ala.,  Oct.  6,  1875. 

Dr. ,  Dear  Sir: — I  received  a  letter  from 

you,  though  now  misplaced,  some  time  ago,  ask- 
ing me  for  the  character  of  John  A.  Cargile,  a 
minister  living  near  here.  Our  postmaster,  Dr. 
Stockard  (a  druggist),  next  door  to  me,  handed 
your  letter  to  me  and  desired  me  to  answer  it; 
but  I  laid  the  letter  by  and  neglected  it.  I  do  not 
know  that  it  is  necessary  for  me  to  answer  it  now, 
as  I  suppose  you  have  likely  received  the  informa- 
tion you  wished  from  other  sources,  though  I 
learned  recently  that  some  Methodist  preachers 
wrote  to  your  country  that  Cargile  could  not  get 
a  respectable  congregation  here,  and  said  some 
other  things  that  would  have  a  tendency  to  injure 
his  reputation  where  he  is  not  known.  I  have 
been  practising  medicine  here  for  ten  or  twelve 
years,  and  have  known  Mr.  Cargile  most  of  the 
time,  although  I  am  a  Missionary  Baptist  and  have 
been  for  more  than  thirty  years,  and  differ  with 
Cargile  on  several  subjects  that  I  think  are  impor- 
tant, but  I  must  do  him  the  justice  to  say  that  as 
a  man  for  integrity  and  honesty  he  is  not  surpassed 


MINISTERS  COMBINE  TO  RUIN  CARGILE.      I  53 

by  any  person  in  this  county.  As  a  Christian  he 
is  zealous  and  devoted,  and  I  think  likely  has  not 
an  equal  in  this  county. 

Will  you  please  inform  me  who  that  Methodist 
preacher  is  that  said  Cargile  could  not  get  a  re- 
spectable congregation  to  hear  him  ?  I  have  heard 
him  [Cargile]  a  half  dozen  times,  or  perhaps 
more ;  at  most  of  those  times  the  house  was  full, 
or  nearly  so,  and  sometimes  they  could  not  all  get 
in ;  and  some  that  differed  with  him  were  very 
anxious  to  hear  him,  and  solicited  him  to  preach 
again.  I  do  not  know  of  an  untarnished  Methodist 
preacher  in  this  upper  end  of  Jackson  County  with 
the  exception  of  two,  perhaps  three,  and  they  have 
but  little  ability.  I  suppose  I  have  written  you 
enough.  However,  anything  else  you  wish  to 
know  on  the  subject,  if  I  have  the  knowledge  to 
impart  it,  I  will  do  so  with  pleasure. 

Respectfully,  J.  S.  B.\nkson,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Grigsby  then  wrote  a  letter  in  reply  to  this 
last  one,  and  also  requested  further  proof  of  my 
good  reputation.      He  says: 

De  View,  Ark.,  Oct.  ii.  1875. 
Dr.  J.  S.  Bankson,  Steven.son,  Ala. 

My  Dear  Sir: — Your  letter  of  the  sixth  inst. 
to  hand  and  the  contents  noted.  I  was  glad,  truly 
glad,  to   hear  from  }ou.      I  am   solicitious  to  have 


154     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGTLE. 

you  write  me  an  answer  to  the  following  questions, 
and  to  have  others  outside  of  the  Adventist  faith 
sign  it,  and  put  opposite  their  names  their  religious 
belief:  Does  John  A.  Cargile  challenge  every 
preacher  in  reach  of  him  for  a  debate,  or  does  he 
not?  Has  he  grown  rich  since  the  war  by  preach- 
ing? Was  he  a  traitor  to  the  South  during  the 
late  war,  and  thereby  cause  many  to  leave  their 
homes,  by  reports  to  the  Federals,  to  save  their 
lives?  These  are  questions  I  desire  to  have  an- 
swered by  you  and  several  others.  Mr.  Cargile 
was  here  last  fall  at  my  house.  I  received  and 
treated  him  as  a  Christian  gentleman.  I  so  believe 
he  is,  and  if  he  is  not,  I  am  mistaken.  I  wish  to 
know  if  he  ever  did  anything  during  or  since  the 
war  to  the  injury  of  any  citizen  of  Jackson  County, 
Ala. 

A  letter  has  been  written  here,  to  some  person 
unknown  to  me, 'as  is  also  its  author,  in  which  Mr. 
Cargile  is  painted  in  very  black  colors.  The  par- 
ties having  it,  refuse  to  make  known  the  author, 
but  say  that  if  ever  Mr.  Cargile  returns  here  it 
will  be  brought  against  him.  Many  of  us  here 
formed  a  good  opinion  of  Mr.  Cargile,  and  do  not 
wish  him  to  receive  the  slanderous  stab  unaware 
(if  it  be  slander).  I  write  this  at  the  request  of 
many  as  well  as  my  own  wishes.  I  hope  you  will 
not  delay  in  this  longer   than  necessary.     As  to 


MINISTERS  COMBINE  TO  RUIN  CARGILE.      I  55 

my  position,  I  refer  you  to  any  public  officer  in 
this  county.      I  hope  to  hear  from  you  soon,  and 
that  you  will  say  whether  I  can  use    your  com- 
munication as  I  think  best  or  not. 
Yours  respectfully, 

E.  O.  Grigsby. 

P.  S. —  Your  letter  of  the  6th  has  been  solicited 
for  publication.     What  shall  I  do? 

Stevenson,  Ala.,  Oct.  22,  1875. 
Dr. :  — I  have  endeavored  to  have  your  ques- 
tions answered.  I  did  not  go  out  of  town  to  find  names 
to  the  following  statement,  except  Mr.  Brewer  and 
Anderson  ;  they  were  here  yesterday.  All  that  I 
presented  this  to,  who  had  known  him  fifteen  years, 
subscribed  their  names.  Mr.  Thornton  does  not 
belong  to  any  church  [he  now,  1891,  belongs  to  the 
Christian  Church — j.  a.  c],  his  people  are  Baptists. 
Mr.  Brewer  is  a  Methodist,  or  inclines  that  way. 
Mr.  Washington  does  not  belong  to  any  church. 
F.  M.  McMahan  does  not  belong  to  any  church, 
I  do  not  know  which  way  he  is  inclined.  These 
are  our  most  prominent  men  here  that  have  been 
acquainted  with  Mr.  Cargile  so  long.  I  do  not 
know  how  many  names  I  could  get  on  the  paper, 
but  I  think  this  is  sufficient. 

Respectfully  \'ours, 

J.  S.  Bankson,  M.  D, 


156     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE, 

Stevenson,  Ala.,  Oct.  21,  1875. 
We  the  undersigned,  have  known  John  A.  Car- 
gile  for  fifteen  years  or  more  ;  have  not  known 
him  to  do  anything  to  the  injury  of  any  person 
during  or  since  the  war.  In  relation  to  his  chal- 
lenging every  preacher  in  reach  of  him,  we  un- 
derstand that  he  offered  to  debate  the  religious 
questions  that  he  and  others  differed  on  after  they 
had  been  proclaimed  by  him  to  be  Scripture  and 
then  was  assailed  by  others  behind  his  back.  The 
questions  we  have  heard  of  are  the  immortality  of 
the  soul  and  the  Kingdom  of  God,  He  has  not 
become  rich  by  preaching ;  he  is  a  poor  man  with 
a  wife  and  five  children.  He  does  not  take  part, 
or  much  part,  in  politics. 

Names.  (Signed.) 

T.  E.  McMahan,  a  merchant,  belongs  to  M.  E. 
Church,  South ;  Geo.  W.  Thornton,  merchant  at 
Stevenson;  L.  H,  Brewer,  formerly  Circuit  Court 
Clerk;  Wm,  Washington,  merchant  at  Stevenson  ; 
F.  M.  McMahan,  merchant  at  Stevenson ;  T,  T. 
Foster,  tax  assessor,  Jackson  Co.;  W.  M.  Cowan, 
Agt.  N.  and  C.  R.  R.,  Stevenson;  J.  F.  Martin, 
Agt,  M.  and  C.  R.  R.,  Stevenson ;  John  F,  Ander- 
son, prominent  man  in  Franklin  Co.,  Tenn, ;  W.  J. 
McMahan,  merchant  in  Stevenson. 


MINISTERS  COMBINE  TO  RUIN  CARGILE.      I  5/ 

"Stevenson,  Ala.,  Oct.  25,  1875. 
To  all  whom  it  may  concern: — This  is  to  certify, 
that  I  have  known  Rev.  John  A.  Cargile  from  his 
boyhood,  and  though  at  one  time  differing  poh't- 
ically,  and  always  differing  rehgiously,  I  take 
pleasure  in  stating,  "that  so  far  as  his  character  as 
a  man  and  Christian  is  concerned,  his  conduct, 
deportment,  daily  walk  and  devotion  to  the  cause 
of  Christianity,  is  unimpeached." 

To  the  incredulous,  if  any,  so  far  as  my  charac- 
ter is  concerned,  I  cheerfully  refer  them  to  any 
public  officer  of  my  county. 

L.  H.  Brewer, 
Member  M.  E.  Church. 

Mr.  Brewer  now  lives    in  Commanche,  Texas, 

where  he  has  been  Probate  Judge  for  a  succession 

of  terms. 

State  of  Alabama,  )  Probate  Court 
Jackson  Co.         \   said  County. 

I,  Nelson  Kyle,  Judge  of  the  Probate  Court  for 
said  county  and  State,  hereby  certify  that  T.  E. 
McMahan,  J.  S.  Bankson,  T.  T.  Foster,  W.  J. 
McMahan,  F.  M.  McMahan,  William  Washington, 
J.  F.  Martin,  G.  W.  Thornton,  John  F.  Anderson, 
W.  M.  Cowan  and  L.  H.  Brewer,  are  all  citizens  of 
this  county  except  J.  F.  Anderson,  and  are  re- 
sponsible, and    any    statement    they  or    either  of 


158  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  A.  CARGILE. 

them  would  make  would  be  entitled  to  credit. 
And  I  furthermore  certify  that  they  arc  all  Demo- 
crats of  the  straigJitcst  sort,  and  most  of  them  are 
members  ofthe  Baptist  and  M.  E.  Churches,  South  ; 
and  furthermore,  that  none  of  them  belong  to  the 
same  faith  and  order  as  Rev.  John  A.  Cargile ; 
and  I  further  certify  that  John  A.  Cargile  is  a  min- 
ister of  the  gospel  of  the  highest  respectability, 
and  there  are  no  charges  of  any  kind  against  him 
in  this  county,  and  this  is  the  county  of  his  youth 
and  manhood. 

Given  under  my  hand,  this  13th  of  Nov.,  1875. 
Nelson  Kyle,  Judge  P.  C. 

All  these  parties,  save  three,  were  in  the  Con- 
federate army.  T.  T.  Foster  was  Tax  Assessor; 
he  lost  his  leg  in  the  war,  and  I  voted  for  him, 
which  shows  that  I  was  favorable  to  ex-Confed- 
erate soldiers.  We  have  always  been  the  best  of 
friends. 

De  View,  Ark.,  Oct.  11,  1875. 
To  the  Sheriff,  Jackson  Co..,  Ala. 

Sir:  —  You  will  confer  a  favor  on  me,  and  also 
on  many  others  living  here,  if  you  will  inform  me 
as  soon  as  practicable  what  the  social  and  general 
reputation  of  Mr.  John  A.  Cargile  is.  Is  he  a 
man  of  truth  and  honor,  or  is  he  not?     Did  he 


MINISTERS  COMBINE  TO  RUIN  CARGILE.      1  59 

report  to  the  Federals,  during  the  late  war,  upon 
citizens  of  that  county,  which  report  forced  many 
to  leave  their  homes  to  save  their  lives,  or  did  he 
not?  Is  he,  or  is  he  not  regarded  as  a  Christian 
gentleman  by  the  citizens  generally  in  your 
county?  Was  he  a  poor  man  when  the  war  ended, 
and  is  he  a  rich  man  now?  What  is  his  pecuniary 
worth?  Do  any  among  you  think  he  is  preaching 
the  Advent  doctrine  merely  to  make  money  out 
of  it?  Has  he  grown  rich  by  so  preaching?  Is 
he  a  man  of  good  reputation  or  not?  Has  he  any 
cause  to  be  afraid  to  remain  at  home,  this  fear  to 
be  caused  by  any  crime  he  committed  before, 
during  or  since  our  late  war?  How  is  he  regarded 
by  the  preachers  generally,  and  also  by  the  mem- 
bers of  the  different  denominations?  You,  sir,  as 
the  sheriff  of  Jackson  Co.,  have  a  right  and  ought 
to  know  the  general  character  of  any  man  in  it. 
I  ask  these  questions  from  pure  motives  to  my- 
self and  to  Mr.  Cargile,  and  I  hope  you  will  not 
hesitate  to  answer  at  once,  let  it  be  for  or  against 
Mr.  Cargile.  He  has  been  by  some  unknown  man 
in  your  county  assailed  here,  and  I  entertained 
him  at  my  house  during  a  short  visit  he  made  here 
last  fall.  I  wish  to  know  if  he  be  a  wolf  in  lamb's 
clothing,  or  is  he  true  as  per  profession.  By  let- 
ting me  hear  from  you  soon,  you  will  greatly  oblige, 
Yours  respectfully,     E.  O.  Grigsby,  M.  D. 


l6o  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  A.  CARGILE, 

P.  S. —  This  is  a  matter  of  importance.  Please 
preserve  this  letter,  as  it  may  be  called  for. 

Yours,  etc.,  E.   O.   G. 

The  following  was  received  by  E.  O.  Grigsby  in 
reply. 

ScoTTSBORO,  Alabama,  Oct.  24,  1875. 
Mr.  E.  O.  Grigsby,  Dear  Sir: — I  received  your 
communication  and  contents  noted.  In  answer  to 
your  letter  of  enquiry  I  take  pleasure  in  answering,  I 
have  known  him  (Mr.  John  A.  Cargile)  from  his 
infancy  to  the  present  time,  and  I  must  add,  too,  that 
we  were  raised  half  a  mile  from  each  other ;  and 
I  believe  I  taught  him  his  alphabet,  and  to  spell  and 
read.      I  consider  him  a  man  of  truth  and  honor. 

A71S.  2. —  If  he  reported  to  the  Yankees,  or  was 
a  common  informer,  I  do  not  know  it  to  be  so. 

Ans.j. —  He  is  regarded  by  his  neighbors  as  a 
Christian  gentleman. 

Atis.^. — He  was  a  poor  man  at  the  commencement 
of  the  war  and  he  is  now  a  man  of  limited  means. 

Ans.  J. —  I  have  never  heard  any  of  the  citizens 
say  they  believed  he  was  preaching  the  Adventist 
doctrine  with  a  view  of  making  money,  but  only 
from  pure  motives.  It  is  very  hard  to  look  into 
the  intentions  of  men.  If  he  has  grown  rich  by 
preaching,  there  is  not  a  great  deal  visible. 


MINISTERS  COMBINE  TO  RUIN  CARGILE.      l6l 

Ans.  6. —  He  has  made  considerable  reputation 
for  a  young  man,  or  for  a  man  of  his  age. 

Ans.  7. —  If  there  is  any  cause  for  him  to  fear 
to  remain  at  home  for  anything  that  he  did  during 
or  since  the  close  of  the  late  war,  I  am  not  apprised 
of  it. 

Ans.  8. —  He  is  regarded  as  a  man  of  ability  for 
his  age  and  experience,  both  by  the  church  mem- 
bers generally  and  the  ministers  of  the  different 
denominations.  Although  the  other  denomina- 
tions do  not  subscribe  to  his  doctrine,  they  look 
upon  it  as  something  new  ;  and,  in  fact,  it  is  of 
recent  birth  in  this  section  of  the  country.  Yet 
some  are  adopting  his  teaching  as  the  plainest  and 
safest  way  to  salvation. 

Sir,  I  have  tried  to  answer  your  questions  with 
as  much  accuracy  as  I  could  with  truth  and  justice 
both  to  myself  and  Mr.  Cargile,  and  as  to  his 
political  creed,  he  might  well  be  denominated  a 
conservative  man.  Voting  for  his  native-born  folks 
for  State  and  county  offices  and  for  national  or 
federal  offices,  I  believe  he  has  supported  this 
present  administration.  Well,  as  to  his  parentage, 
he  is  of  a  good  family,  high-minded  and  respected 
in  the  community  in  which  they  live.  Hoping  this 
will  be  satisfactory,  I  remain, 

Yours  fraternally,  S.  H.  McMahan. 


1 62     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

Mr.  McMahan,  I  believe,  had  been  a  lieutenant 
in  the  Confederate  army.  When  I  had  finished 
reading  the  above  letters,  the  people  began  to  see 
that  there  was  something  wrong  somewhere  else, 
and  that  Cargile  had  some  friends  at  home.  I  was 
glad  that  these  letters  had  been  obtained  without  my 
knowledge.  I  had  written  for  other  testimony,  and 
now  I  wrote  the  author  of  the  charges  as  follows : 

De  View,  Ark.,  Nov.  20,  1875. 

My  Dear  Bro.  Quackenbo,  Anderson, 
Tenn. :  —  I  find  here  a  certificate  over  your  name 
setting  forth  certain  charges  against  me,  or  my 
character  as  a  Christian,  all  of  which  you  bind  your- 
self to  substantiate.  I  hereby  notify  you  that  I  will 
wait  here  three  weeks  for  you  to  come  and  do  so. 

I  have  found  certificates  here  from  your  own 
brethren  which  have  been  sent  from  Jackson 
County,  Ala.,  giving  the  lie  to  what  you  say,  and 
I  demand  of  you  to  covk  immediately  and  make 
good  those  charges  or,  like  a  Christian  gentleman, 
acknowledge  you  have  lied.  I  am  sorry,  Bro. 
Quackenbo,  that  you  have  such  a  heart,  for  "out 
of  the  abundance  of  the  heart  the  mouth  speak- 
cth"  (Jesus).  My  brother,  don't  fail  to  be  here 
by  Wednesday  before  the  first  Sunday  in  December 
with  your  proof,  if  you  have  it.  May  God  bless  you. 
Yours,  etc.,  John  A.  Cargile. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THE    CLERICAL    SCANDAL — CONTINUED. 

In  due  time  I  received  the  following  letters  and 
certificate  from  the  community  where  my  assailant 
practiced  medicine  for  several  years. 


Catchings,  Ten 
Fkanklin  Co 


^'^■'1  Nov.  29,  1875. 


We,  the  undersigned,  citizens  of  this  vicinity, 
certify  that  Elder  John  A.  Cargile,  living  at  Steven- 
son, Ala.,  fifteen  miles  from  this  place,  is  regarded 
by  the  people  in  this  neighborhood  as  a  truthful, 
honorable  and  Christian  gentleman,  and  respected 
by  all  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel.  We  also  certify 
that  Dr.  L.  B.  Ouackenbo  moved  to  this  county  from 
Arkansas  some  four  or  five  years  after  the  war, 
and  consequently  could  have  known  nothing  as  to 
Cargile  before  or  during  the  war,  of  his  own  know- 
ledge. As  to  his  (Cargile)  reporting  Southern 
men  as  bushwhackers  and  such  like,  we  never  heard 
of  it  till  we  saw  it  in  Dr.  Quackenbo's  letter  to  the 
people  in  Arkansas.  We  never  heard  of  him 
(Cargile)  being  guilty  of  any  bad  conduct  during 


164    AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

his  whole  Hfe,  and  the  most  of  us  have  known  him 
from  our  infancy.  It  is  true  that  he  is  Postmaster 
at  Stevenson,  Ala.,  on  a  salary  of  about  $200 
per  annum  ;  but  we  don't  regard  that  or  his  Union 
sentiments  as  a  crime. 
(Signed.) 
J.  C.  Shirley,  P.  M.,  Catchings,  Tenn. ;  Nathan 
Bolton,  Agt.  N.  C.  and  St.  L.  R.  R. ;  A.  G.  Bled- 
soe, Silas  Shavers,  John  W.  Kirby,  Larkin  Willis, 
Thomas  Bullard,  Patrick  Barnett,  R.  R.  section 
foreman ;  S.  B.  Prince,  John  Stewart,  Wm.  Linch, 
F.  T.  Gibson,  R.  R.  section  foreman  ;  R.  H.  Dixon, 
M.  D.,  and  Minister  M.  E.  church.  South;  J.  F. 
Brazelton,  Merchant;   VVm.  Pellam. 

State  of  Tennessee, 
Franklin   Co. 

I,  J.  G.  Brazelton,  one  of  the  acting  Justices  of 

the  Peace  for  this  county  of  Franklin,  do  certify 

that  the  names  signed  to  the  above  certificate  are 

gentlemen  of  high  standing  in  our  community,  and 

what  they  say  is  regarded  as  true.     I  also  endorse 

what  they  have  said  as  to  Cargile  and  O . 

(Signed.) 

J.  G.  Brazelton, 

Justice  of  the  Peace. 

Cousin 'John:  —  I  send    the  certificate    as    re- 
quested.    I  had  it  in  a  dift"erent  shape,  but  Lark 


THE   CLERICAL   SCANDAL.  1 65 

came  up  and  made  me  change  it.  I  hope  it  is 
O.  K.  They  all  say  that  they  wish  they  could  do 
more  for  you.  John,  I  want  you  to  put  this  thing 
through.  Sue  him  for  slander.  I  will  stick  to 
you,  and  so  will  the  whole  Creek.  We  all  regard 
Dr.  Quackenbo  as  a  mischief-making  liar.  I  will 
say  so  on  oath,  and  can  prov^e  it  by  all  my  neigh- 
bors. If  I  can  do  anything  more  I  am  ready  to  do 
so.      Your  cousin,  J.  C.  Shirley. 

Catchings,  Tenn.,  Dec.  7,  1875. 
Dear  BrO.  CargilE:  —  Please  say  to  the  peo- 
ple of  De  View,  Ark.,  that  I  have  just  read  a  copy 
of  Dr.  Quackenbo's  letter  to  them  about  you,  and 
that  I  hereby  certify  that  the  charges  he  brings 
against   you  are  false.     I   have  known    you  ever 
since  you  were  a  little  boy,  and  never  heard  of  any 
such  things  against  you  before.     I  never  heard  of 
your  being  guilty  of  any  bad  conduct  while  you 
were  a  member  and  preacher  of  our  church. 
Your  Bro.,         William  Furgerson", 

Minister  of  the  Baptist  Chureli.    ' 

The  next  Sunday  I  read  the  above  letters  to 
the  people,  which  seemed  to  satisfy  everybody, 
even  the  preachers  themselves,  as  will  be  seen  by 
the  following  letter.  The  Bro.  Leggery  mentioned 
in  it  was  the  preacher  who  advised  me  to  write  for 


l66  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  A.  CARGILE. 

the  above  statement,  and  who  first  wrote  to  Ala- 
bama, to  Bro.  Winslow,  for  my  standing.  He 
turned  the  letter  over  to  Dr.  Quackenbo  to  answer. 

De  View,  Ark.,  Dec.  i,  1875. 
Rev.  L.  B.  Quackenbo,  Dear  Bro.: — Bro. 
Leggery  has  gone  to  Conference,  and  requested 
me  to  open  all  letters  to  him  from  you  during  his 
absence.  Your  letters  dated  20th  and  25th  last 
month  have  both  been  received,  and  as  I  am 
equally  interested  with  Bro.  Leggery  in  the  Car- 
gile  matter,  I  must  say  that  I  am  disappointed, 
sadly  so,  at  not  receiving  the  long  promised  evi- 
dence. We  have  been  looking,  vainly  looking, 
for  the  long-promised  document  to  sustain  the 
charges  you  made  against  Cargile.  Feeling  certain 
that  you  would  make  good  the  statement  you 
made  against  him  according  to  promise,  we  have 
promised  the  evidence,  Cargile  said  he  would  wait 
two  weeks  for  the  proof;  his  time  will  be  out  in  a 
few  days ;  he  leaves  on  Monday  next.  Now 
where  are  we  standing  in  the  light  of  an  intelligent 
people?  He  has  with  him  several  certificates 
commending  him  as  a  Christian  minister,  a  pious, 
good  man,  I  do  not  recollect  their  names,  but 
one  is  from  the  Probate  judge  of  his  county,  and 
several  from  Methodists  of  a  similar  kind.  He 
has  read  publicly  these  certificates,  also  a  copy  of 


THE    CLERICAL   SCANDAL.  16/ 

a  letter  he  says  he  sent  to  you  "asking  you  to 
come  forward  and  make  good  the  charges  or 
acknowledge,  Hke  a  Christian  gentleman,  that  you 
have  lied."  This  he  read  before  a  large  audience. 
I  am  a  Methodist  minister  of  the  gospel,  and  feel 
a  deep  interest  in  this  matter.  I  believe  he  has 
generally  satisfied  the  people  here  that  he  is  a 
persecuted  man.  After  he  denied  the  charges 
you  made  against  him,  if  your  promised  proof  had 
come  the  matter  would  have  been  forever  settled. 
And  it  does  seem  to  me,  my  brother,  if  these 
things  of  which  you  accuse  him  had  been  so  public, 
it  would  be  an  easy  matter  to  prove  them.  I  can 
see  no  good  resulting  by  publishing  him  as  you 
speak  of;  the  proper  proof  of  verification  is  what 
we  need,  is  what  we  ask,  and  when  you  get  this  I 
will  be  much  pleased  to  hear  from  you. 

Yours  in  Christ,  S.  K.  Longfellow. 

At  my  last  meeting  in  De  View  the  people  gave 
me  quite  a  donation  in  money  which  had  been 
quietly  collected  by  Dr.  J.  for  me.  It  was  sufficient 
to  defray  the  expense  of  my  fare  both  ways  and 
pay  me  well  for  all  the  time  I  had  lost  in  the 
matter. 

On  returning  home  I  met  Bro.  Winslow  on  the 
street  and  was  glad  to  see  him.  He  did  not  seem 
at  all  pleased  at  meeting  me,  and  remarked,  "Bro. 


1 68     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

Cargile,  I  am  very  much  surprised  that  you  should 
meet  me  in  so  friendly  a  manner  after  writing  about 
me  as  you  have."  I  told  him  I  had  not  mentioned 
his  name,  when  he  replied,  "  Don't  you  deny  it, 
sir,  for  I  have  it  in  black  and  white  in  your  own 
handwriting."  I  answered,  "Oh!  well,  that  will 
tell  the  tale."  He  drew  out  a  sheet  of  note  paper 
and  as  he  opened  it  I  said,  "That  is  Dr.  Quack- 
enbo's  handwriting  not  mine."  "Well,"  said  he, 
"it  has  your  name  to  it,  any  way." 

The  Doctor  had  copied  my  letter  to  himself  ver 
batim  till  he  came  to  the  sentence,  "  Giving  the  lie 
to  zvJiat  yoH  say''  He  had  forged  the  name  of 
Bro.  Winslow  by  making  it  read  as  follows,  "Giv- 
ing the  lie  to  what  you  and  Winslow  have  said." 
This  he  had  sent  to  Bro.  Winslow  as  my  letter.  I 
said,  "Now,  see  here,  Bro.  Winslow,  here  is  a  copy 
of  my  letter  to  Dr.  Quackenbo,  and  it  is  written  on 
the  same  kind  of  paper,  too.  I  tore  both  leaves  from 
an  old  account-book,  and  sent  one  to  him  and 
kept  a  copy  on  the  other.  Don't  you  see  they  are 
not  the  same  handwriting?"  He  looked  angry  and 
said,  "He  says  }'ou  wrote  it,  and  I  believe  it.'' 

I  replied  very  kindly,  "The  train  will  be  here  in 
about  ten  minutes ;  let  us  go  to  his  house  and  see 
him."  He  said,  "No,  I  don't  care  to  go."  I  told 
him  if  he  would  go  I  would  pay  his  car  fare.  He 
positively  refused  to  go.     I  then  told  him,  "  If  you 


THE   CLERICAL   SCANDAL.  1 69 

won't  go,  by  the  grace  of  God  I  will."  I  boarded 
the  train  and  arrived  at  Anderson,  Tenn.,  just  after 
dark,  and  sent  a  note  up  to  Dr.  Quackenbo's 
house,  kindly  asking  him  to  come  down  to  the 
depot  for  an  interview.  He  refused  to  come.  I 
then  invited  two  young  men,  Wm.  R.  Willis  and 
\Vm.  B.  McQuiddy,  to  accompany  me,  and  went 
to  his  house. 

We  looked  through  the  window  and  saw  him 
seated  in  the  family  circle.  When  we  rapped  it 
was  quite  a  little  while  before  the  door  opened. 
When  we  entered  the  house  the  Doctor  was  miss- 
ing. We  were  seated  and  talked  with  his  wife  and 
children.  By  and  by  he  came  from  a  back  room. 
I  rose  quickly  and  said,  "Well,  Bro.  Quackenbo, 
I  am  glad  to  see  you."  As  we  joined  hands  he 
said,  with  visible  emotion,  "Now,  look  here,  Car- 
gile,  I  want  us  to  have  a  friendly  talk  here  to- 
night." I  asked  him,  "Why,  Bro.  Quackenbo, 
what  do  you  mean?  I  propose  to  be  a  CJiristian, 
and  such  do  not  indulge  in  any  other  kind  of  talk. 
You  did  write  that  letter  to  Arkansas,  did  you?" 
He  answered,  "Yes;  Bro.  Leggery  wrote  me  that 
you  were  coming  back  to  Arkansas  with  a  tent, 
and  if  you  should  you  would  sweep  the  country; 
and  that  he  was  determined  to  kill  out  your  doc- 
trine, and  asked  me  to  get  up  a  document  against 
you.     I  wrote  that  thing  and  sent  it  off,  and  two 


I/O      AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOAN   A.    CARGILE. 

days  after  I  would  have  given  the  world  if  I  could 
only  have  had  it  back.  I  wrote  them  not  to  show- 
it  to  you,  and  I  think  they  treated  me  with  great 
injustice  when  they  let  you  see  it."  "Well,"  said 
I,  "they  did  me  no  injustice;  in  fact,  they  had  io 
show  it  to  me." 

From  my  notes  written  about  that  time  I  copy 
the  following:  "This  Bro.  Leggerty  kept  his  con- 
duct in  this  matter  so  dark  that  even  some  of  his 
own  brethren  did  not  surmise  that  he  had  done 
anything  towards  it.  How  beautifully  is  Micah  7  : 
3,  fulfilled  here,  'The  great  man  he  uttereth  his 
mischievous  desire ;  so  they  wrap  it  up.'  How 
completely  he  did  'wrap  it  up,'  and  some  of  that 
work  will  very  likely  not  be  unwrapped  till  God 
reveals  every  secret  thing  at  the  judgment." 

I  asked  the  Doctor,  "Did  yon  forge  Bro.  Wins- 
low's  name  to  my  letter?"  He  said,  "Yes."  I 
asked,  "What  did  you  do  that  for?"  He  replied, 
"Oh!  just  to  give  him  a  little  trouble,  too;  he  is 
too  ficety  any  way."  He  confessed  that  the 
charges  h(?  had  sent  to  Arkansas  against  me  were 
false.  He  gave  me  the  letter  from  Dr.  S.  K. 
Longfellow  which  I  have  given  in  this  chapter. 
Handing  him  a  sheet  of  blank  paper,  I  said, 
"Now  I  want  that  in  black  and  white."  He  hesi- 
tated and  asked,  "What?"  I  replied,  "Just  what 
vou   have  confessed  to  me."      He   hesitated  a^ain 


THE   CLERICAL   SCANDAL.  171 

and  said,  "I  don't  know  about  that."  I  told  him, 
"I  do  ;  if  you  don't  give  it  to  me  in  writing  you 
can  prepare  yourself  for  a  suit  for  slander  and 
forgery."  He  asked  me  to  let  him  think  over 
it  till  to-morrow.  I  asked  him,  "  Will  you  send  it 
to-morrow?"  His  wife  said,  "Yes,  Bro.  Cargile, 
I  will  see  that  he  sends  it  to-morrow  evening  on 
the  four  o'clock  train."  That  being  agreed  upon, 
I  said,  "Now,  Bro.  Quackenbo,  I  want  to  pray 
with  you."  He  did  not  speak,  but  we  bowed  side 
by  side  and  I  prayed.  As  we  rose  to  our  feet  I 
took  him  by  the  hand  to  say  farewell,  when  he 
said,  "Now,  Cargile,  the  tomahawk  is  buried,  isn't 
it?"  I  said,  "No,  sir."  He  asked,  "What  will  it 
take  to  bury  it?"  I  told  him,  "When  you  send 
that  written  confession  it  will  be,  and  not  before." 
He  told  me  again,  "  I  will  send  it  to-morrow." 
I  asked  him,  "Then  won't  you  come  down  to 
Stevenson  and  let  us  preach  together  like  brethren, 
and  show  to  the  world  that  religion  is  love?" 
He  dropped  my  hand  quickly  and,  turning  his 
head  abruptly  to  one  side,  said,  in  a  very  gruff 
voice,  "  No,  sir  !      I'll  not  promise  to  do  that." 

I  went  home  that  night,  which  was  December 
I5>  1875,  and  waited  several  days  for  the  promised 
confession,  but  all  in  vain.  Finally,  I  wrote  him 
as  follows : 


172     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

Stevenson,  Ala.,  Dec.  23,  1875. 
Dear  Bro.  Quackenbo:  —  I  am  sorry  to  have 
to  write  to  you  again  in  this  matter.  Had  you 
sent  me  the  written  statement  according  to  promise, 
the  trouble  would  have  been  settled  ;  but  you  have 
not  done  so.  I  will  wait  a  few  days  more,  and  if 
you  don't  send  me  a  statement  exactly  according 
to  promise,  I  shall  proceed  at  once  for  satisfaction 
for  slander  and  forgery.  I  hope,  as  a  minister, 
you  will  be  as  true  as  your  promise,  and  thus  save 
further  trouble. 

Yours,  etc., 

John  A.  Cargile. 

Next  day  I  received  the  following  statement  by 
mail.  It  was  back  dated,  but  the  postmark  was 
correct. 

A   STATEMENT 

Of  ail    agreemeiit    made   and  entered    into    bet-ween    L.    B. 
Quackenbo  and  yo/tn  A.  Cargile.      Witnesset/t. 

For  the  sake  of  our  common  cause  of  Christian- 
ity, and  for  the  sake  of  peace  and  harmony  in  the 
country  as  well  as  between  us  as  Christian  minis- 
ters, L.  B,  Quackenbo  withdraws  certain  charges 
made  against  the  said  John  A.  Cargile,  involving, 
as  he  complains,  his  Christian  character  and  his 
good   standing  as  a  minister.     He  farther    states 


THE   CLERICAL   SCANDAL.  1 73 

that  his  authority  for  making  those  charges  were 
verbal  reports  made  to  him  by  various  persons, 
and  he  then  believed  the  reports  to  be  true  and 
reHable,  but  now  beheves  from  statements  made 
by  good  men  as  well  as  from  Mr.  Cargile's  state- 
ments and  explanations  and  documents  shown 
him,  that  injustice  is  done  him,  and  he  takes  pleas- 
ure in  righting  any  wrong  he  may  have  done  in 
the  matter.  It  is  furthermore  stated  by  the  said 
L.  B.  Quackenbo  that  it  was  with  reluctance  that 
he  first  wrote  the  document  complained  of,  and 
after  repeated  solicitations  by  others,  and  after  he 
had  written  it  he  desired  to  recall  it,  having  substi- 
tuted another  paper  in  which  interrogations  were 
made  to  Mr.  Cargile  on  all  the  charges,  with  the 
opportunity  to  acquit  himself  thus  given  him; 
but  this  paper  containing  the  bill  of  charges  was 
made  public  contrary  to  his  wishes,  and  he  hereby 
revokes  it. 

The  said  John  A,  Cargile  agrees  to  withdraw 
all  charges  against  L.  B.  Quackenbo,  and  to  set 
him  right  before  the  world. 

(Signed.)  L.     B.     QUACKENBO. 

I  was  astonishe.*,  on  receiving  the  above  state- 
ment, to  see  how  ingeniously  he  had  dodged  the 
confession  and  tried  to  draw  me  in  as  being  equally 
guilty  with  himself.     I  replied  to  him  as  follows : 


174     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

Stevenson,  Ala.,  Dec.  29,  1875. 
My  Dear  Bro.  Ouackenbo:  —  Yours  of  the 
23d,  mailed  the  25th,  is  received,  and  I  send  you 
a  copy  of  your  statement.  But  it  is  not  according 
to  agreement.  *I  think  you  certainly  remember 
that  you  agreed,  in  the  presence  of  witnesses,  to 
tell  in  that  statement  who  wrote  first  to  Bro.  Wins- 
low,  and  then  to  you.  That  he  wrote  you  that  his 
object  was  to  put  down  the  doctrine,  etc.  You 
said  nothing  in  the  statement  about  forging  Bro. 
Winslow's  name  to  my  letter.  I  never  agreed  to 
give  you  any  written  agreement,  withdrawing  any 
charges  I  made  against  you,  and  to  set  you  right 
before  the  world.  I  have  said  nothing  but  the 
truth,  and  have  nothing  to  withdraw.  I  told  you  I 
had  published,  or  sent  for  publication,  your  bill  of 
charges,  and  that  to  have  your  written  statement 
published  would  set  you  right  before  the  world. 
And  if  you  had  made  it  according  to  agreement  it 
would  have  done  so;  but  my  neighbors  counsel 
me  not  to  accept  such  a  meagre  concern.  What 
have  you  learned  from  Arkansas,  or  anywhere  else, 
about  my  "  very  severe  expressions"  ?  Please  send 
them  to  me,  with  the  author's  name.  I  am  re- 
sponsible for  all  I  have  said  or  may  say  here- 
after. You  say  you  try  to  show  the  meek  spirit 
of  Jesus.  I  am  glad  of  it.  I  can  only  wish  you 
had  possessed    that  spirit  all  the  while.      I  desire 


THE   CLERICAL   SCANDAL.  1 75 

to  have  the  same  meek  spirit,  but  I  must  confess 
that  with  me  now  forbearance  has  almost  ceased 
to  be  a  virtue.     What  do  you  think  about  it? 

I  will  give  you  another  chance  to  make  a  state- 
ment as  to  just  how  the  whole  thing  came  up  and 
why  you  wrote  the  articles,  and  why  you  put  Bro. 
Winslow's  name  to  my  letter.  I  will  wait  a  week, 
and  if  you  don't  give  me  satisfaction  I  will  call 
upon  those  two  witnesses  for  their  testimony  in  the 
matter.  Please  send  the  late  letters  you  have  from 
Arkansas  reporting  my  "severe  expressions." 

Place  yourself  in  my  position  and  you  can  real- 
ize my  feelings  in  the  matter.  Ask  yourself  what 
would  be  your  conduct  if  I  should  treat  you  as 
you  have  me.  Money  is  nothing  compared  to  a 
man's  character. 

Please  write  me  immediately. 

Yours,  etc.,  John  A.  Cakgile. 

The  time  passed  by  without  my  receiving  the 
confession  as  he  had  made  it  verbally  and  promised 
it.  I  then  called  upon  Messrs.  McQuiddy  and 
Willis,  who  willingly  testified  as  follows : 

State  of   Tennessee, 
Franklin   Co. 

To  whom  it  may  concern  : — 

We,  the  undersigned,  do  hereby  afifirm   that  on 

the  15th  day  of  Dec,  1875,  we  went  to  the  house 


176    AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

of  Dr.  L.  B.  Ouackenbo,  who  then  Hved  in  this 
county,  and  heard  him  make  the  following  confes- 
sion to  John  A.  Cargile,  of  Stevenson,  Jackson  Co., 
Ala.,  viz.:  That  he  (Ouackenbo)  did  write  a 
certain  bill  of  charges  and  send  to  Arkansas  to 
one  Rev.  Leggery.  That  the  said  Leggery  first 
wrote  to  Rev.  C.  K.  Winslow,  of  Stevenson,  Ala. 
That  Winslow  then  referred  him  (Legger)-)  to 
Quackenbo  for  "Cargile's  war  record."  That 
the  said  Leggery  then  wrote  the  said  Dr.  L. 
B.  Quackenbo  that  Cargile  was  to  come  back  to 
Arkansas  with  a  tent,  and  that  he  (Leggery) 
was  determined  to  put  down  Cargile's  doctrine. 
Therefore,  he  desired  the  said  L.  B.  Ouackenbo 
to  send  him  a  document.  That  he  sent  the 
document,  and  two  days  afterward  was  very  sorry, 
and  wrote  to  Arkansas  forbidding  them  to  show 
the  document  to  Cargile,  and  said  that  he  (Quack- 
enbo) thought  they  (the  Arkansas  brethren) 
treated  him  with  injustiqe  by  showing  Cargile 
the  letter. 

Further.  He  (Quackenbo)  confessed  that  he 
was  now  satisfied  the  charges  were  false,  and  was 
willing  to  right  all  wrongs  and  ''bury  the  toma- 
hawk." That  he  further  confessed  that  he  (Ouack- 
enbo) did  copy  Cargile's  letter  to  him  in  which  he 
(Quackenbo)  did  forge  the  name  of  "Winslow." 
That   we    heard  Cargile    ask    him    (Quackenbo), 


THE   CLERICAL   SCANDAL.  I  7/ 

"Why  did  you  forge  Bro.  VVinslow's  name  to  my 
letter  and  send  it  to  him?"  That  we  heard  Dr. 
Quackenbo  reply,  smilingly  :  "  Oh  !  just  to  give 
him  a  little  trouble,  too,  for  he  is  too  ficety  any- 
how." And,  further,  that  we  heard  Dr.  Quack- 
enbo ask  Cargile  for  the  character  of  Leggery  in 
Arkansas.  We  heard  Cargile  reply,  "As  far  as  I 
know,  Bro.  Leggery  is  a  Christian  gentleman." 
We  heard  Cargile  say  to  Dr.  Quackenbo  that  Dr. 
S.  K.  Longfellow  in  Arkansas  refused  to  tell  him 
(Cargile)  whether  he  had  seen  any  letters  from 
Bro.  Winslow;  but  that  Winslow  had  agreed  at 
the  proper  time  to  tell  Cargile  enough.  That 
Cargile  said  he  believed  Bro.  Winslow  to  be  a 
Christian  gentleman,  and  that  he  (Cargile)  did 
not  think  that  he  (Winslow)  had  written  any- 
thing bad."  That  the  said  Dr.  L.  E.  Quackenbo 
said  to  Cargile  as  follows:  "I  was  a  Union 
man  myself  and  made  Union  speeches  through 
Arkansas,  and  had  to  bear  much  persecution 
for  it." 

And  we  do  further  certify  that  we  remained 
there  as  long  as  Cargile  did,  and  that  we  came 
from  Dr.  Quackenbo's  house  with  Cargile.  And 
we  heard  Dr.  Quackenbo  agree  to  send  this 
confession  in  writing  to  Cargile  by  mail  next 
day,  on  the  i6th.  That  he  (Quackenbo)  agreed 
to    tell    in    the    confession,   "just    who    had    writ- 


1/8     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

ten,  and  that  the  object  was  to  put  down  the 
doctrine." 

We  further  certify  that  Cargile  never  said  a  hard 
word  to  Quackenbo  about  Winslow,  or  an}'  of  the 
Arkansas  brethren,  but,  on  the  contrar}-,  spoke 
kindly  of  all  of  them.  That  Cargile  then  said  he 
was  glad  the  thing  was  passing  off  so  pleasantly 
between  himself  and  Dr.  Quackenbo,  and  asked  the 
privilege  to  pray  with  him,  which  was  granted. 
We  then  bowed  together,  when  Cargile  very  ear- 
nestly prayed  that  the  feelings  of  the  past  might 
be  buried  forever,  and  that  their  hearts  might 
all  be  filled  with  love.  That  Quackenbo  then 
asked,  "Is  the  tomahawk  buried?"  Cargile  re- 
plied, "  When  you  send  me  that  written  state- 
ment it  is,  and  not  before."  Cargile  then  asked 
Dr.  Quackenbo,  while  holding  his  farewell  hand  : 
"Bro.  Quackenbo,  will  you  come  down  and 
let  us  preach  together  like  brethren?"  To 
which  Quackenbo  replied,  "No,  I'll  not  promise 
to  do  that." 

We  further  certify  that  Quackenbo  said  the 
reason  why  he  had  acted  so  was  that  he  had 
been  ''miffed"  at  Cargile  for  two  or  three  }-cars,  or 
since  Cargile  accepted  his  proposition  for  a  debate, 
which  he  claimed  was  not  made  in  seriousness, 
but  was  only  a  little  pleasantry.  This  is  a  true 
statement  of  the  interview    between   Cargile    and 


THE    CLERICAL    SCANDAL.  1 79 

Quackenbo  according  to  our  best  recollection. 
Witness  our  hands  and  seals.  This,  the  23d  day 
of  March,  1876.  W.  B.   McQuiDDY 

Wm.  R.  Willis. 

Sworn  to  and  subscribed  before  me,  tlie  date  above.  J. 
G.  Brazelton,  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  Franklin  Co.,  Tenn. 

The  careful  reader  will  notice  that  the  statement 
withdrawing  all  charges,  was  dated  Dec.  23d,  and 
mailed  the  25th.  It  is  evident  that  on  the  27th, 
four  days  later,  he  wrote  to  Dr.  S.  K.  Longfellow, 
still  contending  that  some  of  the  charges  were 
true,  and  added  other  things,  I  know  not  what,  as 
the  following  letter  shows : 

De  View,  Woodruff  Co.,  Ark.,  Jan.  5,  1876. 

Rev.  L.  B.  Quackenbo,  Dear  Bro.: — Your  letter 
dated  27th  last  month  came  to  hand  to-day.  I 
regret  you  agreed  to  withdraw  all  you  had  said 
about  him  if  any  of  it  could  be  proven.  His 
friends  here  now  will  have  all  they  want  to  exult 
over.  Can  you  not  get  some  reliable  man  who 
heard  him  make  the  statement  about  Lee,  Davis, 
and  other  rebels  (that  has  independence  enough), 
to  send  me  a  certified  statement  of  the  fact,  with- 
out using  your  name?  Surely  this  can  be  done  if 
he  made  the  remarks  in  public,  or  has  the  country 
suddenly  become  all  Cargilites,  and  are  afraid  to 
speak  against  him,  though    it  be  true?     You  say 


l8o     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

that  you  have  good  proof  of  the  truthfulness  of 
many  or  some  of  the  charges ;  this  I  earnestly  ask 
for.  I  can  prove  two  positive  falsehoods  on  him 
the  short  time  he  was  out  here  unless  the  wit- 
nesses lie,  and  they  are  recognized  here  as  gentle- 
men. I  told  him  in  my  office  he  was  a  wolf  in  a 
lamb-skin,  and  he  never  will  pray  in  my  house 
until  his  heart  is  changed,  be  sure  of  that.  You 
write  that  he  says  we  would  not  meet  the  issue. 
We  had  none  really  to  meet ;  we  showed  him  the 
document  from  you.  He  denied  the  charges. 
What  more  could  we  do?  He  showed  me  some 
certificates  he  had  and  insisted  on  my  going  to 
hear  him  preach,  and  I  told  him  plainly  that  I 
would  not.  He  had  written  some  unkind  things 
about  me  to  a  friend  of  his,  which  I  spoke  to  him 
about,  and  he  retracted  and  begged  pardon.  He 
asked  us  if  Bro.  Winslow  had  not  been  writing 
to  us  about  him,  and  we  refused  to  give  him  any 
name  but  yours.  We  have  never  cast  any  reflec- 
tions on  Bro.  Winslow,  and  I  will  pay  Cargile  to 
face  me  and  say  we  did.  And  as  to  telling  him 
that  the  correspondence  was  unsolicited  on  Bro. 
Leggery's  part,  I  simply  say  it  is  a  malicious  false- 
hood, and  should  I  ever  see  him  again  I  shall  hold 
him  personally  responsible  for  it.  [These  things 
I  never  heard  of  before.  Dr.  Q.  must  have  written 
them.     J.  A.  c]     We  never  conceded  the  point; 


THE   CLERICAL   SCANDAL.  l8l 

it  is  all  a  lie.  He  said  with  the  certificates  we 
ought  to  be  satisfied.  We  told  him  that  L.  B. 
Ouackenbo  was  endorsed  by  the  M.  E.  C,  South, 
and  that  we  must  hear  from  him  before  we  would 
say  the  charges  were  false.  I  told  him  that  I  had 
had  but  little  to  do  with  it,  but  since  he  had  denied 
these  things  I  intended  to  find  if  he  was  guilty, 
and  if  you  had  wilfully  made  up  such  a  long  list  of 
false  statements  I  wanted  to,  and  would,  know  it. 
We  are  after  right,  my  Bro.,  nothing  else  if  we 
know  it,  and  justice  we  intend  to  do  if  we  know  it. 
These  things  should  be  cleared  up.  I  think  the 
church  demands  it,  and  if  you  will  but  send  the 
proper  evidence  that  he  did  say  that  Jeff.  Davis, 
Lee,  and  others,  should  be  hung,  and  all  rebels 
disfranchised  forever,  with  the  explanation  you 
have  given,  I  am  willing  to  let  it  drop  so  far  as 
you  are  concerned.  Cargile  has  surely  "stolen 
the  livery  of  heaven  to  serve  the  devil  in."  He 
will  never  say  but  once  in  my  presence  what  you 
write  me  he  says  about  Leggery  and  McGimpsy. 
You  may  show  C.  this  letter  or  tell  him  its  contents 
if  you  wish.  Please  see  Bro.  Winslow  and  disabuse 
his  mind  about  this  matter.     Write  soon. 

Yours,  in  Christ,  S.  K.   LONGFELLOW. 

I  am  sure  I  said  nothing  hard  about  Bro.  Wins- 
low  or  any  other  man.     The  above  letter  intimates 


1 82     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

that  Dr.  Q.  had  written  something  that  I  should 
have  said  about  Leggery  and  McGrimpsy.  I  know 
I  did  not  say  anything  hard  enough  to  cause  such 
a  bitter  remark  from  a  Christian. 

THE  lonp:  star,  with  no  satellite. 

Stevenson,  Ala.,  Nov.  20,  1876. 
I  certify,  that  at  a  meeting  of  some  of  the  citi- 
zens of  Jackson  County,  Ala.,  in  the  town  of  Stev- 
enson, during  mihtary  rule,  for  the  purpose  of 
restoring  law  and  order,  John  A.  Cargile  did  advo- 
cate a  measure  introduced  by  some  person  in  said 
meeting  to  disfranchise  all  Rebel  soldiers ;  said 
measure  was  voted  down  by  the  meeting. 

U.  S.  Blank, 

I  am  willing  that  the  certificates  already  given 
by  ex-Confederate  soldiers  should  suffice  for  the 
present. 

The  next  spring  I  wrote  the  following  letter  to 
Arkansas,  in  reply  to  a  request  sent  me  in  a  letter 
from  another  party : 

Stevenson,  Ala.,   May  2,  1876. 
My  Dear  Bro.  Longfellow: — I   received  a 
letter  from  Dr.  J.    yesterday,  in  which  Dr.  G,   re- 
quested  me  to  send  you  a  copy  of  Bro.  Quack- 
enbo's  confession.     That  you  desired  to  prosecute 


THE   CLERICAL   SCANDAL.  1 83 

him  before  the  higher  authorities  of  your  church 
and  have  him  silenced.  I  have  studied  and 
prayed  over  it  nearly  all  night,  and  I  will  now  tell 
you  my  feelings  about  it.  I  do  not  wish  you  to  do 
so,  and  I  hope  you  will  not.  I  do  not  wish  him 
any  harm  and  hope  that  he  will  not  be  injured  in 
the  least  by  what  he  has  done.  Let  him  do  all 
the  good  he  can. 

Every  man  has  his  influence,  and  Quackenbo 
might  persuade  some  sinner  to  come  to  Christ  and 
be  saved.  So  please  do  not  prosecute  him.  I 
have  no  hard  feelings  toward  him.  I  wish  him 
well,  and  hope  God  may  bless  him  abundantl)'. 
You  can  get  a  copy  from  Dr.  G.  I  repeat,  my 
dear  Bro.,  let  us  forgive  him  and  let  him  alone. 
Bro.  Winslow  says  I  told  him  that  you  said  you 
had  seen  a  letter  from  him.  My  recollection  is 
that  I  told  him  you  said  you  were  "  not  at  liberty 
to  tell  me,"  and  that  I  knew  by  that  expression 
that  you  had.  If  I  did  tell  him  so,  it  was  only  a 
slip  of  the  tongue,  for  I  meant  Bro.  McGimps}', 
who  told  me  at  Mr.  Huddleton's  gate  that  Brn. 
Winslow  and  Quackenbo  were  all  who  had  written. 
But  I  hope  the  thing  will  stop,  and  that  we  will  all 
be  humble  and  devoted  to  God.  Give  my  love  to 
all  of  our  Father's  children.  Please  pray  for  me. 
Your  Loving  Bro.,         John  A.  Cargile.  . 


1 84     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

Dr.  R.  H.  Dixon,  a  Methodist  preacher  who 
signed  the  statement  from  Catchings,  Tenn.,  gave 
me  the  following  letter,  saying,  "You  can  use  this 
as  you  see  proper;  I  gave  him  [Ouackenbo]  as 
good  as  he  sent."  I  give  only  that  part  of  the 
letter  which  alludes  directly  to  the  matter  in  ques- 
tion. 

Dec.  \y,  1875. 
Dr.  Dixon,  Dear  Bro. : —  I  am  deeply  grieved 
and  wounded  that  you  signed  that  paper  at  Catch- 
ings. That  persons  not  members  of  our  church 
should  sign  it  is  not  surprising,  but  that  you,  a 
brother  minister,  should  be  so  ready  to  cast  re- 
flections on  the  character  of  a  brother  preacher,  is 
mortifying  to  my  feelings.  All  that  I  ever  did  in 
the  Cargile  case  was  done  with  reluctance  and 
at  the  earnest  solicitation,  frequently  made,  b}' 
brethren  of  the  ministry  of  our  church  in  Arkan- 
sas. The  paper  that  was  sent  back  here  had  been 
revoked  by  me,  and  another  sent  in  its  place  which 
contained  interrogations  only  in  order  to  give  C. 
an  opportunity  to  vindicate  himself  on  all  the 
charges  against  him,  which  I  am  able  to  show  by 
letters  in  my  possession  from  Arkansas.  I  said 
nothing  against  C.  only  what  I  had  heard  from  others 
repeatedly  and  thought  was  true  —  some  two  or 
three  charges  I  now  think  are  not  correct,  but  the 


THE   CLERICAL   SCANDAL.  I  85 

balance  are.  How  you  can  arrange  it  consistently 
as  a  Methodist  minister  to  endorse  a  man  who 
preaches  such  heresies,  —  that  a  man  has  no  soul, 
and  denies  the  future  punishment  of  the  wicked, 
and  the  annihilation  of  the  devil  and  hell,  etc.,  as  a 
learned  and  worthy  Christian  preacher,  I  am  unable 
to  determine.  In  your  church  trial  and  difficulties 
with  T.  I  gave  you  my  aid  and  influence  in  the 
way  of  advice,  etc.  But  thus  it  is  with  you  and 
others ;  you  return  evil  for  good  instead  of 
following  God's  word.  I  have  stood  up  for  the 
church  a  long  time  and  in  this  case  I  am  fighting 
her  battles  against  this  boasting  Goliath  of  Gath. 
I  have  left  my  practice  here  and  my  family  and 
travelled  on  the  train  at  my  own  expense  and 
preached  a  great  deal,  and  no  man  has  given  me 
as  much  as  $5.00.  I  have  been  sorely  persecuted 
by  the  enemies  of  religion  and  of  our  church  in 
this  country,  but  the  hardest  of  all  is  your  opposi- 
tion. It  was  through  your  influence,  in  a  great 
measure,  I  first  came  here,  and  you  promised  me 
it  forever  and  promised  never  to  be  in  my  way. 
How  have  you  kept  your  word  ?  God  knows  my 
heart,  and  I  appeal  to  him  as  my  judge  that  I  have 
done  the  best  I  could,  and  have  never  wronged 
you  or  any  one  else  here.  When  you  wrote  your 
name  on  that  paper  you  endorsed  an  enemy  of 
your  church  and  of  )'our  pastor  and  of  our  cause. 


1 86     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

Cargile  wrote  to  Arkansas  that  there  were  but 
two  Methodist  preachers  in  this  country  of  any 
respectabiHty,  and  that  they  were  of  Hmited  abihty, 
etc.  I  told  him  of  this  the  other  night  and  he 
denied  it,  and  said  it  was  Dr.  Bankson  who  wrote 
it;  but  the  brethren  out  there  say  it  was  C,  and  I 
believe  it.  Where  does  this  leave  you,  Doctor? 
And  a  Methodist  preacher  !  Where  is  your  self- 
respect  when  you  endorse  him?  He  can't  preach 
without  challenging  or  casting  slurs  on  some  of  us. 
He  had  the  impertience,  the  other  night  after  all 
he  has  said  against  me,  to  ask  me  to  go  to  Bolivar 
or  Stevenson  and  preach  with  him.  I  told  him  I 
would  not  go,  nor  will  I. 

Now,  dear  Doctor,  this  is  not  written  to  offend 
you  ;  no,  indeed  ;  I  come  from  my  knees  to  write, 
and  often  while  I  have  been  writing  I  have  felt  the 
blinding  tears  falling  from  my  eyes.  I  am  ready 
to  meet  you  as  a  brother  and  talk  over  the  matter 
and  forgive  and  look  over  this.  I  have  many 
other  things  I  have  had  put  on  me.  I  love  your 
wife  as  a  true  Christian  sister,  and  would  love  you 
if  you  would  only  treat  me  like  a  brother. 
Your  deeply  wounded  brother, 

L.  B.  OUACKENBO. 

In  the  summer  of  1876  I  attended  the  National 
Campmeeting  at  Springfield,  Mass.      Bro.  Geo.  T. 


THE   CLERICAL   SCANDAL.  1 87 

Adams,  then  Business  Agent  of  the  Advent  Christian 
PubHcation  Society,  and  Treasurer  of  the  American 
Advent  Mission  Society,  came  to  me  and  said, 
"Who  is  J.  M.  Stewart,  down  in  your  country?" 
I  replied,  "  He  is  one  of  our  preachers."  Bro. 
Adams  asked,  "What  does  he  keep  meddling  in 
your  business  for?  He  keeps  writing  us  to  know 
if  we  gave  you  any  money,  and  wants  to  know  just 
how  much  we  gave  you  in  round  numbers  last  year, 
I  concluded  that  he  was  meddling  where  it  did  not 
concern  him,  and  let  him  go."  I  thought  for  a 
moment,  and  asked,  "What  kind  of  handwriting  is 
it?"  Adams  answered,  "  .S/'/tv^rt'/V/."  "Well,"  said 
I,  "  Stewart  did  not  write  it,  then,  for  he  can 
hardly  write  a  legible  hand."  I  thought  no  more 
about  it  until,  after  campmeeting,  I  was  in  the 
Crisis  office  in  Boston,  when  Bro.  Adams  handed 
me  a  paper,  saying,  "  Here  is  Stewart's  letter." 
The  very  moment  I  glanced  at  it  I  remarked,  "Ah, 
that's  the  handwriting  of  Dr.  Ouackenbo,  a  Metho- 
dist preacher  in  my  country." 

The  letter  expressed  great  friendship  for  me, 
and  extolled  my  work,  exalted  my  Christian 
character,  and  hoped  that  the  Mission  Board  was 
helping  me  as  he  thought  I  deserved,  and  was 
anxious  to  know  about  it. 

The  week  following  I  was  at  Seabrook,  N.  H., 
campmeeting.      Bro.  A.   P.   Moore,  then  clerking 


l88     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

in  the  office  of  Bro.  H.  L.  Hastings,  came  to  me 
and  said,  "Who  is  L.  B.  Ouackenbo  down  in  your 
country?"  I  told  him  that  he  was  a  Methodist 
minister.  "Well,"  said  Bro.  Moore,  "he  does  not 
like  you  very  well,  does  he?"  I  replied,  "Oh!  I 
don't  know,  why  not?"  He  answered,  "He  does 
not  write  much  like  it."  I  procured  the  letter  and 
compared  it  with  the  one  in  Bro.  Adams'  office. 
One  of  them,  signed  J.  M.  Stewart,  says  that  I  was 
a  Christian  gentleman  and  doing  a  grand  work; 
the  other,  signed  L.  B.  Quackenbo,  says,  "As  Mr. 
Cargile  treated  me  with  great  injustice  and  unkind- 
ness  I  declined  to  receive  any  favors  from  him." 
Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  letters  were  both  in 
the  same  handwriting. 

I  often  met  the  Doctor  after  this,  and  always 
spoke  to  him  very  kindly,  but  he  refused  to  speak 
to  me  in  return.  Once  I  said,  "How  is  your 
family,  Bro.?"  He  turned  from  me  abruptly,  sa}- 
ing:  "It's  none  of  your  business."  One  time, 
at  a  Sunday  School  picnic,  he  stood  talking  to 
another  man ;  I  walked  up  to  him,  and  taking  him 
by  the  hand,  I  said,  "Good  morning,  brethren." 
The  moment  he  saw  me,  he  dropped  my  hand  and 
turned  his  back  on  me.  One  day  I  met  him  on 
the  highway;  both  of  us  riding  mules,  and  both 
traveling  alone.  I  called  out,  "Good  morning, 
Bro,  Quackenbo."     He  did  not  halt  or  look  toward 


THE   CLERICAL   SCANDAL.  1 89 

me.  Stopping  my  mule,  I  said  to  him  as  he  rode 
along,  "Look  here;  you  and  I  both  claim  to  be 
ministers.  We  tell  the  world  that  religion  is  love. 
Don't  you  suppose  the  devil  laughs  in  his  sleeve 
when  he  sees  how  you  act?  You  know  you  tried 
to  ruin  me  in  Arkansas,  without  a  cause,  and  you 
did  not  do  it.  I  love  you,  and  mean  to  speak  to 
you  every  time  I  see  you,  and  you  might  as  well 
bury  the  tomahawk  and  stop  this  foolishness." 

By  this  time  he  was  too  far  away  to  hear  any 
more.  The  next  time  I  met  him  was  at  a  Metho- 
dist meeting.  He  spoke  very  kindly,  and  invited 
me  to  pray  after  he  had  preached.  By  invitation 
I  preached  in  the  afternoon.  Six  came  for  prayer. 
I  asked  him  to  pray.  I  shall  never  forget  the  first 
sentence  of  his  petition.  "  O  !  Lord,  bless  the  dear 
brother  who  has  preached  to  us  this  evening." 
The  preacher  in  charge  clapped  his  hands  and 
shouted,  "  Glory  to  God."  The  fire  spread  from 
heart  to  heart,  and  several  were  made  to  rejoice 
and  two  souls  were  happily  converted.  From  that 
day  to  the  day  of  his  death  we  were  true  friends, 
as  I  always  had  been  to  him. 

After  the  battle  was  all  over  the  kind  people  of 
De  View,  Ark.,  shipped  me  a  box  containing  over 
four  hundred  pounds  of  pork,  and  an  Irish  friend 
composed  and  sent  me  the  following  poem  : 


I90     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE, 

"A  CLERICAL    SCANDAL 

Fabulal  come,  my  verse  inspire, 
And  wliile  I  sing  touch  tiiou  the  lyre 
With  charity.    Oh!  let  me  handle 
A  sacred  subject,  holy  scandal. 
Foisted  by  the  public  teachers. 
Most  holy  men  and  reverend  preachers, 
Combined  and  worked  by  every  wile 
To  ruin  the  cause  of  John  Cargile. 

Against  such  odds  'tis  hard  to  tight, 
Though  doubly  armed  in  being  right; 
Truth  may  die  just  for  a  season 
And  lie  buried  without  reason, 
Yet  'twill  triumph,  good  men  know  why, 
Over  the  wrong  and  prove  tiie  lie, 
And  put  to  shame  all  evil-doers. 
E'en  though  they  may  be  De  Viewers. 

Not  long  ago,  I'll  not  go  back 
To  dates  and  places  unimportant; 

But  I'll  put  you  on  the  track 
Where  you  can  follow  my  informant. 

There  came  from  Alabama  here 

A  man,  wlio  showed  how  sinners  could 

Secure  a  crown,  by  earnest  prayer, 

In  Christ's  own  kingdom  if  they  would. 

Preached  on  universal  love 

And  duty  to  each  other. 
Spoke  of  Him  who  from  above 

Came  on  earth  to  call  us  brother. 


THE   CLERICAL   SCANDAL.  191 

He  told  how  all  men,  after  death, 

Lie  passive  till  Christ's  coming; 
That  the  good  possessed  the  earth, 

And  the  bad  found  no  room  therein. 

Against  these  truths  the  priesthood  rose 

And  vowed  with  determination 
Such  truths  and  tenets  to  oppose, 

And  send  the  author  to  damnation. 

First  in  order  Longfellow  came. 
Backed  by  many  a  reverend  name, 
With  a  record  long,  to  shame 
John  A.  Cargile. 

His  papers  all  were  well  made  out. 
Evidence  clear  to  hang  no  doubt. 
To  say  the  least,  he'd  turn  him  out 
The  church  and  foil 

All  his  hopes  of  ever  making 
One  more  Adventist,  or  taking 
One  more  member  without  breaking 
The  common  rules. 

But  Cargile  still  kept  on  his  way, 
Ever  rejoicing  and  would  pray 
For  the  men  who  were  heard  to  say 
He  preached  to  fools. 

Next  in  order  Parson  Leggery 
Thought  his  cause  would  come  to  beggary, 
Said  he'd  stand  no  such  humbug'ry, 
'Twas  not  his  style. 

He  knew,  he  said,  of  men  who'd  lend 
A  hand  to  him  towards  his  end — 
The  disgrace  of  our  honored  friend, 
John  A.  Cargile. 


192  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  A.  CARGILE. 

So  that  very  reverend  gent 
Straight  to  Asia  Minor  went — 
Some  few  here  say  he  only  sent — 
For  information 

Of  this  man's  record,  where  'tzvas  black, 
That  he  might  shoot  behind  his  back 
And  send  him  where  he'd  have  to  smack 
Of  sweet  damnation. 

And  thou,  McGimpsy,  with  a  will 
Of  evil  intent,  backed  by  skill. 
Didst  try  thy  very  best  to  kill 
A  noble  cause ; 

A  cause  to  every  pilgrim  dear. 
His  heart  to  warm,  his  life  to  cheer, 
And  while  on  earth  to  live  in  fear 
Of  God's  good  law. 

Ouackenbo  next,  without  alias, 
A  worthy  man  and  very  pious, 
For  which  his  brethren  all  rejoice, 
Of  course,  why  not? 

Knowing  he'd  neither  lie  nor  sin. 
Ne'er  played  poker — but  to  win. 
And  when  thirsty  drank  but  gin, 
By  him  were  taught 

To  swallow  all  he  said,  or  says. 
Whether  in  preaching  or  at  prayers; 
As  Christians  ought  to  do  in  these  days 
Of  holy  treason. 

Now,  charges  made  by  such  a  man, 
Drawn  up  by  him  in  his  own  plan. 
Deny  or  contradict  who  can  .'' 
'Tis  beyond  reason. 


THE   CLERICAL   SCANDAL.  1 93 

Winslow,  thou,  with  hard-fought  struggle, 
By  all  means  of  sleight  or  juggle 
Didst  on  Cargile  try  to  smuggle 
Damning  slander. 

But  he,  like  gold  when  tried  by  fire, 
Came  out  purer  despite  the  ire, 
And  stands  in  the  public  favor  higher, 
Ay,  and  grander. 

Thou  and  thy  clique  are  shown  to  be 
But  sorry  reasoners  who  can't  see 
Beyond  their  noses  one  half  degree 
On  top  of  earth. 

Sillier  than  so  many  lasses 
Who  ne'er  looked  beyond  their  glasses, 
Worse  than  long-eared  Spanish  asses, 
Look  not  to  birth. 


TO   JOHN    A.   CARGILE. 

Then  go  thy  way,  thou  honest  man. 
Thou  hated  of  a  hateful  clan 
Which  tried  to  ruin  by  every  plan 
Thy  cause  and  th^e. 

Go  nobly  forth  and  take  thy  stand, 
In  this  or  any  other  land, 
Among  the  pure,  the  true,  the  grand, 
For  thou  art  free." 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

THE  BEAR  STORY  AND  THE  PICKPOCKETS. 

The  Lord  sent  the  ravens  to  feed  Elijah,  and 
he  never  yet  has  called  out  a  man  to  preach  the 
gospel  and  then  left  him  to  starve. 

When  I  relinquished  all  chance  of  worldly  pre- 
ferment to  sound  the  note  of  the  coming  King  in 
his  glory,  I  started  out  trusting  in  the  Lord.  I 
have  had  many  trials,  a  few  of  which  are  given  in 
other  chapters  in  this  work.  Here  is  a  very  pecu- 
liar story.  I  call  it  the  bear  story.  We  will  soon 
see  why  it  is  called  so.  There  lives  a  farmer  in 
the  State  of  Maine  whose  name  is  Locke.  He 
raises  quite  a  number  of  sheep  every  year.  The 
woods  were  infested  with  wild  bears,  which  often 
prowled  through  the  pastures  at  night,  and  made 
havoc  among  the  sheep.  This  dear  Bro.  Locke, 
with  others,  procured  a  supply  of  traps  and  began 
trying  to  catch  the  roguish  bears.  In  1877 
Bro.  Locke  caught  one  bear  only.  People  were 
losing  sheep  often  by  the  ravages  of  the  bears, 
which  became  so  damaging  to  the  farmers'  in- 
terests that  the  State  of  Maine  passed  an  Act  to 
pay  two  dollars  bounty  for  every  bear  that  should 


BEAR   STORY  AND    PICKPOCKETS.  1 95 

be  caught.  Just  how  many  traps  Bro.  Locke  had^ 
I  do  not  know  ;  but  he  took  his  heavy  traps  in  the. 
fall  of  1880,  and  went  into  the  woods  and  climbed 
the  steep  hills  in  different  places  to  set  each  trap 
in  a  position  where  he  supposed  Bruin  would  be 
likely  to  get  caught.  He  has  a  faithful  Christian 
daughter,  a  school-teacher,  who  was  then  sweet 
little  blue-eyed  Carrie.  Her  busy  little  hands 
gathered  acorns  for  papa  to  bait  a  trap  with. 
After  tramping  from  place  to  place  till  all  the 
traps  were  set,  Bro.  Locke  fell  on  his  knees,  as 
he  wrote  me,  and  prayed,  "  O  Lord,  give  me  suc- 
cess with  these  traps,  and  I  will  send  the  bounty 
to  Cargile  in  the  South,  to  preach  the  gospel 
with."  How  wonderfully  the  Spirit  impressed  his 
mind  !  What  else  could  cause  him  to  think  of  the 
unworthy  writer,  who  was  then  passing  through  a 
terrible  trial  unknown  to  any  save  God  and  his 
dear  companion  }  How  we  prayed  for  the  way  to 
open  for  us  to  have  "food  and  raiment"  that  we 
might  prosecute  the  work  of  the  Lord  !  Strange 
as  it  may  seem  to  the  skeptic,  those  traps  secured 
seven  bears.  I  wish  I  could  give  my  readers  the 
very  interesting  story  just  as  Bro.  Locke  could  tell 
it.  He  could  describe  how  his  traps  were  dragged 
away,  and  how  he,  after  searching  the  woods, 
found  the  tremendous  big  bear,  whose  trap  had 
become  fastened,  and  which  had  gnawed  down 
quite  a  large  tree  ;    then   the  finding  of   the  old 


196      AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

she-bear  and  her  half-grown  cubs,  each  in  a  trap, 
and  hid  in  different  places.  When  the  faithful 
serv^ant  of  the  Lord  had  succeeded  in  slaying  all 
of  the  seven  sheep-killers,  he  was  almost  ex- 
hausted physically  ;  but  he  fell  on  his  knees  in  the 
woods  and  told  the  Lord  :  "  Well,  Lord,  I  thank 
thee  that  thou  hast  done  a  good  thing  for 
Cargile." 

A  ten-dollar  bill  and  a  couple  of  twos  made 
the  seven  bounties  of  two  dollars  each.  It  was 
placed  in  a  letter  without  registering,  and  ad- 
dressed to  me.  I  was  in  a  strait  at  the  time.  I 
had  an  appointment  in  East  Tennessee,  my  family 
in  need,  and  I  had  not  a  penny  in  the  world. 
How  Satan  did  try  my  faith  !  I  prayed  earnestly 
over  it.  Finally  the  day  came  for  me  to  start. 
With  a  heavy  heart  I  packed  my  saddle-bags. 
Wife  said,  "  John,  when  are  you  coming  back  .-• " 
I  told  her,  "  I  don't  know  that  I  am  going." 
Looking  at  me  for  a  moment,  she  asked,  "  Why 
are  you  packing  your  books,  then  .-* "  I  told  her 
that  I  intended  to  do  my  part.  That  I  had  no 
money,  but  I  should  go  to  the  depot,  and  then  if 
the  Lord  opened  the  way,  I  would  go  on  to  the 
meeting.  But  if  I  could  see  no  way  opened  to 
get  a  ticket,  I  should  "  consider  the  way  hedged 
up  and  return  home." 

When  I  got  to  the  post-oflfice  I  received  two 
letters,  and,  hearing  the  train  coming  around  the 


BEAR   STORY   AND    PICKPOCKETS.  I97 

spur  of  the  mountain,  I  knew  I  had  no  time  to 
read  the  letters  then.  I  ran  into  the  depot,  and 
said  to  the  agent,  "  Give  me  a  ticket  for  Chatta- 
nooga, and  I  will  pay  you  ne.xt  week  when  I 
return." 

I  knew  the  people  where  I  was  going  were  very 
poor,  and  during  eight  years'  service  they  did  not 
give  me  enough  to  pay  my  fare  a  dozen  times ;  but 
\  felt  just  what  I  said,  without  thinking  where  the 
money  would  come  from.  The  agent  stamped  the 
ticket,  and  handed  it  to  me  without  saying  a  word. 
Soon  I  was  aboard  the  train,  and  began  to  read 
my  letters.  The  first  one  was  from  an  old  friend. 
The  second  was  from  Bro.  Locke.  Imagine  my 
joy  and  surprise  if  you  can,  when  the  greenbacks 
dropped  out  of  the  letter.  I  had  my  pocket-book, 
as  usual,  in  my  pants  pocket,  and  I  invariably  put 
paper  money  in  it  for  safe  keeping.  Being  so  car- 
ried away  with  joy  at  the  unexpected  sight  of  the 
money,  I  thoughtlessly  stuffed  the  bills  into  the 
right-hand  pocket  of  my  vest,  and  began  eagerly 
reading  the  wonderful  letter,  which  was  long,  and 
contained  all  the  minutice  of  catching  the  seven 
bears,  which  I  wish  I  could  remember.  When  I 
got  to  Carpenter,  Willie  and  Nettie,  children  of 
Eld.  J.  J.  Smith,  got  aboard  the  train  to  go  with 
me  to  the  meeting  in  Tennessee.  In  Chattanooga 
we  had  to  wait  till  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  for 
the  train.     Hon.  Horace  Maynard,  I  believe,  who 


198     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

was  then  postmaster-general,  was  making  a  politi- 
cal speech  under  the  car-shed,  and  I  presume 
there  were  ten  thousand  people  present,  standing 
as  closely  as  they  could  be  packed. 

The  brass  band  was  playing,  and  Willie  was 
delighted  with  it,  as  he  was  not  used  to  such 
things  in  the  country.  Our  train  stood  ready  to 
start  as  soon  as  the  schedule  time  arrived.  I 
knew  that  when  the  time  came  to  start,  there 
would  be  a  rush  ;  so  I  said  to  Willie,  "  I  will 
go  to  the  sitting-room  and  get  Nettie,  and  go 
aboard,  and  you  keep  your  eye  on  that  train,  and 
when  you  see  it  moving  jump  on."  I  took  my 
saddle-bags  in  my  right  hand,  and  Nettie's  valise 
in  my  left,  and  edging  our  way  through  the  crowd, 
we  reached  the  train. 

The  gentlemen's  car  was  open,  but  the  door  of 
the  ladies'  car  was  locked.  When  we  mounted 
the  platform  between  the  cars,  the  porter  was 
inside,  shaking  the  stove-grate.  I  told  Nettie  to 
"just  wait  till  he  stops  rattling  the  grate,  and  I 
will  shake  the  door-knob,  and  he  will  come  and  let 
you  in."  While  we  thus  stood  waiting,  three 
men  climbed  on  to  the  platform  of  the  open  car; 
but,  instead  of  entering  it,  they  came  over  to  us. 
They  were  all  stooped  over,  seemingly  trying  to 
hide  their  faces  from  us,  and  each  carried  a 
shillalah  about  three  feet  long.  The  gas-jets 
being  just  over  the  cars  made  it  quite  dark  where 


BEAR    STORY  AND    PICKPOCKETS.  1 99 

we  st(jod.  They  got  between  us,  and  began  to  crowd 
us  farther  apart.  I  told  them  that  that  was  the 
ladies'  car,  and  that  they  would  better  go  into  the 
open  car.  Paying  no  attention  to  me,  they  nodded 
and  "  mumbled  "  something  to  each  other  which 
I  could  not  understand.  Finally  they  crowded 
Nettie  nearly  off  on  one  side,  and  I  on  the  other. 
My  right  hand,  which  held  the  saddle-bags,  hung 
over  the  iron  railing  to  keep  me  from  falling.  I 
called  out,  "  Get  away  from  here,  gentlemen  ;  that 
lady  is  my  company,  and  you  are  crowding  her 
off."  The  third  man  from  me  reached  around  the 
other  two,  and,  seizing  the  handle  of  the  valise, 
which  was  in  my  left  hand,  said,  "  Well,  hold  up 
your  valise,  and  let  us  pass."  I  suppose  he  thought 
that  I  would  let  go  of  the  handle,  but  I  did  not. 
As  we  both  stood  pulling  at  the  handle  to  decide 
which  of  us  would  have  it,  the  other  two  men 
crowded  between  us,  abreast,  and  passed  under 
the  valise.  As  they  rubbed  through,  they  tapped 
my  pocket,  and  took  my  pocket-book  out  of  my 
pants  pocket,  and  then  the  third  man,  seeing  that 
I  meant  to  hold  on  to  that  valise,  turned  it  loose, 
and,  jumping  down  between  the  trains  in  the 
dark,  they  ran  like  so  many  March  hares.  Im- 
agine their  looks  and  curses  when  they  reached 
their  den  and  opened  that  pocket-book  to  find  that 
it  did  not  contain  a  cent  of  money.  God's  bear- 
money  was  still  in  my  vest  pocket.     The  pocket- 


200      AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN    A.   CARGILE. 

book  had  been  a  present  to  me  by  a  Sr.  Wool- 
worth,  who  died  at  Worcester,  Mass.  It  contained 
one  note  for  $16.70,  and  another  for  $30.00,  on 
two  of  my  neighbors,  who  are  honest  men  and 
paid  me  without  the  notes.  So  I  lost  nothing 
but  the  pocket-book.  I  can  see  the  hand  of  Prov- 
idence in  this.  What  else  could  lead  me  to  put 
that  money  in  my  vest  pocket  instead  of  the 
pocket-book  .'' 

Bro.  Locke  was  wonderfully  blessed  in  his  work 
of  trapping  the  bears.  He  caught  seven  more 
at  different  times,  for  which  he  received  two 
dollars  each,  and  sent  it  all  to  me.  I  praise  God 
that  the  bear-money  always  came  just  at  a  time 
when  I  needed  it  most.  The  State  then,  in  order 
to  more  effectually  check  the  ravages  of  the  bears 
among  the  sheep,  raised  the  bounty  to  five  dollars 
each.  After  this  time  till  June,  1890,  Bro.  Locke 
caught  twenty-six  bears,  and  sent  every  bounty  to 
me  to  use  in  spreading  the  gospel.  If  anybody 
else  caught  a  bear  I  never  heard  of  it. 

Dear  reader,  see  how  God  answered  the  Chris- 
tian trapper's  prayer,  and  thus  enabled  him  in  ten 
years  to  send  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  dollars 
into  the  Mission  field,  every  cent  of  which  has 
been  used  in  spreading  the  blessed  gospel  of 
Christ.  Besides  the  bear-money,  Bro.  Locke  had 
one  sheep  which  had  been  the  favorite  of  a  dear 
boy   who   died.       He    called    it    the    "  Missionary 


BEAR   STORY    AND    PICKPOCKETS.  20I 

lamb,"  the  proceeds  of  whose  yearly  fleece  has 
been  sent  to  spread  this  gospel  of  the  kingdom. 
So  often  have  his  faithful  wife  and  loving  daughter, 
with  willing  hands,  spun  the  yarn,  and  knit  the 
stockings  to  warm  so  many  little  feet  while  papa 
was  out  preaching,  and  mamma  was  burdened  with 
so  many  cares,  that  I  append  the  following  beauti- 
ful poem  by  Bro.  Libby  :  — 

THE   CHEERFUL   GIVERS. 

I  know  of  a  home  with  its  loving  three, 

Quiet  and  happy  as  often  you  see, 

In  a  countTv  town  in  the  State  of  Maine, 

Where  the  hills  look  down  on  a  narrow  plain, 

Streaked  by  a  river  which  farmers  love, 

If  it  be  not  mad  from  the  slopes  above. 

I  will  name  not  one,  and  yet  all  are  known 
In  places  where  their  gifts  have  been  sown  ; 
And  Heaven  is  storing  from  many  a  field 
The  harvests  the  scattered  seed  may  yield, 
To  give  them  back  in  bounteous  measure. 
Here  and  hereafter,  a  home  full  of  pleasure. 

In  various  ways  are  the  means  secured, 

Through  toil  and  hardship  by  each  endured  : 

Out  of  the  soil  must  some  dollars  grow, 

And  the  teacher  from  school  her  share  will  bestow ; 

The  flocks  lend  their  aid  to  the  hands  that  will  give. 

For  the  thoughts  of  the  three  are  —  the  needy  must  live. 

All  costly  apparel  from  choice  is  denied. 
To  save  means  as  well  as  to  crucify  pride ; 
They  think  not  of  feasting,  since  common  fare 
Gives  them  what  they  need,  and  others  a  share. 
No  lavish  arrangement  the  house-rooms  adorn, 
For  the  mansions  of  heaven  their  eves  are  upon. 


202      AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

The  rifle  and  trap  are  as  sanctified  wares, 

Oft  hidden  and  leveled  to  capture  the  bears; 

So  the  curse  proves  a  blessing,  since  bounty  and  price 

Go  off  to  the  mission,  a  virtue  for  vice  ; 

And  war  with  the  growlers  hath  after  its  cease 

This  sweet  satisfaction  —  it  maketh  for  peace. 

Go  on,  noble  trio,  we  bid  you  God  speed 

In  every  endeavor  with  soul-cheering  deed; 

The  hearts  you  have  lightened  from  burdens  of  pain 

Are  not  lighter  than  yours  from  the  gifts  of  your  gain  ; 

And  Heaven  remembers  with  waiting  reward 

Each  one  who  has  given  as  unto  the  Lord. 

J.  Albert  Libby. 

I  will  now  relate  some  more  experiences  with 
robbers,  that  my  young  friends  who  may  read  this 
may  be  on  their  guard  when  they  travel  in  great 
cities. 

Robbers  are  generally  fine-looking  men,  whom 
you  would  hardly  suspect.  On  one  occasion  I  was 
in  the  city  of  Memphis,  Tenn.  I  went  into  the 
park,  and  near  the  grave  of  Gen.  Andrew  Jackson 
stood  a  man  who  entered  into  conversation  with 
me  very  familiarly.  He  said  that  Jiis  name  was 
Jackson,  and  that  he  was  a  relative  of  the  old 
general.  Next  day  I  found  him  in  the  same  place 
again.  While  we  stood  talking  like  old  friends, 
there  came  a  little  red-headed,  dandy-like  fellow, 
who  was  introduced  by  my  supposed  friend  as 
"  Mr.  Wilson,  from  Texas."  He,  too,  was  very 
affable  indeed.  I  had  traveled  but  little  then,  and 
of  course    I  appreciated  such  social  friends  in  a 


BKAR   STORY    AND    PICKPOCKETS.  203 

strange  city.  As  we  engaged  freely  in  conversa- 
tion, we  walked  together  up  Madison  Street.  Sud- 
denly Mr.  Wilson  said,  "  Oh  !  by  the  way,  Mr. 
Jackson,  I  have  a  ticket  in  the  lottery,  and  to-day 
is  the  drawing  ;  where  is  their  office  .'* "  Point- 
ing to  a  stairway  through  a  solid  brick  wall,  he 
said,  "There  it  is,  up  those  stairs."  Wilson  said, 
"  Let's  go  up,  and  see  what  I  draw,  just  for  the 
fun  of  the  thing."  When  they  had  gone  about 
halfway  up  the  stairs  he  said  to  me,  "  Come  up, 
stranger,  and  see  what  I  draw, — ^  no  harm  in  it." 
I  had  often  heard  of  lottery-wheels  being  fair, 
and  I  felt  a  curiosity  to  see  how  it  was  done,  so  I 
started  up  the  steps.  Jackson  stood  till  I  passed 
him,  and  then  followed  after,  while  Wilson  went 
before  me.  We  entered,  and  passed  through  four 
empty  rooms,  turning  first  to  the  left  and  then  to 
the  right  through  the  doors,  all  of  which  Jackson 
closed  behind  us  ;  but  I  thought  nothing  of  it  at 
the  time.  As  Wilson  entered  the  fifth  room 
ahead  of  me,  he  did  not  say,  "  Good  morning, 
gents," — and  I  don't  know  why  I  did  not  notice 
that,  — but  his  first  words  were,  "I  have  a  lottery 
ticket  here,  and  I  want  to  see  what  it  draws." 

By  this  time  I  had  entered  the  room,  and  Jack- 
son had  closed  the  door,  and  stood  beside  us. 
Two  fine-looking  men  sat  behind  a  counter  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  room  toward  the  right-hand 
corner.     In  the  left-hand  corner  sat  a  very  large 


204     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

black  man  on  an  inverted  nail-keg.  That  was  all 
there  were  in  the  room.  I  can  look  back  now  and 
see  that  their  manner  proved  that  they  were  well 
acquainted,  but  at  the  time  I  was  too  "green"  to 
catch  it.  In  answer  to  Wilson,  one  of  the  men 
pulled  a  drawer  from  the  counter,  and  taking  there- 
from a  large  book,  and  opening  it,  said,  "  What 
is  the  number  of  your  ticket  ?  "  "Twenty-one," 
said  Wilson.  Looking  over  a  page  of  the  book, 
he  answered,  "  You  have  drawn  twenty-one  dol- 
lars." Wilson  replied  with  profane  words,  "Pretty 
good  for  a-  one-dollar  ticket."  The  man  handed 
him  four  five-dollar  bills,  and  said,  "  We  do  not 
cash  anything  less  than  five  dollars  here,  but  I 
can  give  you  a  check  down  to  35  Madison  Street, 
and  they  will  cash  the  dollar  for  you.  Or,  if  you 
prefer  it,"  said  he,  taking  out  four  little  blocks 
the  size  of  a  fifty-cent  piece,  and  a  box  of  dice, 
"  I  will  give  you  four  of  these  for  the  dollar,  and 
you  can  try  your  luck."  Wilson  said  he  did  not 
care  to  walk  down  to  No.  35,  so  he  would  take 
the  four  throws.  When  he  had  thrown  four  times 
he  had  won  four  more  blocks,  which  he  handed  to 
Jackson,  saying,  "  Here,  Mr.  Jackson,  I  will  give 
yoii  a  dollar  to  start  on."  Then  four  more  throws 
won  four  more  blocks.  Offering  them  to  me, 
Wilson  said,  "  Here,  stranger,  I  will  give  yoii  a 
dollar  to  start  on  ;  try  jc;/r  luck."  I  turned  on  my 
heel,  saying,  "Thank  you,  gentlemen,  I  profess  to 


BEAR   STORY   AND    PICKPOCKETS.  205 

be  a  Christian."  As  I  turned,  casting  my  eye  to 
the  left-hand  corner  of  the  room,  I  saw  that  big 
colored  man  spring  to  his  feet,  and  start  to  the 
door.  As  I  was  directly  opposite,  I  was  about  two 
jumps  nearer  the  door.  As  I  opened  and  passed 
throuffh  the  door  I  saw  that  Wilson  and  the  black 
man  were  both  coming  with  all  their  might.  I 
went  through  that  and  the  four  other  rooms,  and 
bolted  every  door  after  me  with  all  the  activity 
there  was  in  me.  I  could  see  now  why  Jackson 
had  closed  every  door  behind  us.  While  they 
had  to  stop  to  open  and  pass  through  the  doors, 
I  was  making  tracks  through  the  rooms  in  a  hurry. 
That  is  all  that  saved  me,  for  either  of  them  could 
have  outrun  me  but  for  the  doors. 

When  I  got  to  the  head  of  the  stairway,  and 
started  down  to  the  street,  Wilson  was  only  about 
three  paces  behind  me  ;  and  seeing  that  he  could 
not  catch  me  before  I  reached  the  light  where  my 
voice  could  be  heard,  he  stopped,  saying,  "  Oh,  I 
forgot  my  handkerchief,"  and  I  went  on  down 
that  stairway  the  worst  scared  man  you  ever  saw. 
It  seemed  as  though  I  could  feel  the  hairs  of  my 
head  pushing  my  hat  off. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  while  walking 
through  the  city,  I  met  Jackson  again.  He  turned 
and  walked  along  with  me.  I  told  him,  "That 
man  Wilson  was  mistaken.  I  am  a  minister  of 
the  gospel,  and  do  not  gamble."     Just  then,  break- 


206     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

ing  into  my  remarks,  he  exclaimed,  "  Oh  !  by  the 
way,  you  say  you  live  at  Stevenson,  Ala. ;  of  course 
you  are  acquainted  with  the  postmaster  there  ? " 
I  replied,  "What,  Mr.  Howe.?"  He  said,  "Yes." 
I  can  see  now  what  a  fool  I  made  of  myself.  Why 
did  I  not  ask  him,  "  What  is  the  postmaster's 
name .'' "  I  then  told  him,  "Why,  Mr.  Howe  is 
one  of  my  best  friends."  "Well,  now,"  said  Jack- 
son, "that  is  just  into  my  hand.  His  wife  sent  a 
very  fine  diamond  ring  down  here  by  me  to  be 
fixed,  and  I  know  she  would  much  rather  have 
you  carry  it  to  her  than  to  risk  it  by  mail."  I 
told  him  I  would  deliver  it  with  pleasure.  "  Well," 
said  he,  "  just  stand  here  a  few  minutes  while  I 
step  across  to  that  jeweller's  and  get  it  for  you." 
He  was  in  the  store  only  a  few  minutes  when  he 
returned  and  said,  "  The  ring  is  not  fixed  yet,  but 
it  will  be  done  in  about  one  hour.  Now  where 
shall  I  meet  you  with  it  to-night.-'"  I  told  him 
that  I  would  not  cause  him  such  trouble,  but  that 
we  could  step  to  the  door,  and  he  could  tell  the 
man  to  let  me  have  the  ring  when  I  called  for  it. 
But  he  insisted  that  I  should  not  do  that,  but 
name  the  place  and  he  would  meet  me. 

I  said,  "  Well,  meet  me  at  the  International  Hotel 
to-night  at  six  o'clock."  The  question  of  time  and 
place  being  settled,  we  parted.  I  began  to  reflect. 
Everything  came  vividly  before  my  mind.  I  could 
see  through  the  whole  of  the   intention   in   that 


BEAR  -STORY   AND    PICKPOCKETS.  20/ 


• 


lottery  room.  They  had  planned  to  get  their 
dupes  to  gambling  and  win  their  money,  or,  failing 
in  this,  they  had  that  old  negro  trained  to  seize 
the  unfortunate  victim,  and  they  could  rob  and 
murder  just  as  they  pleased,  for  a  voice  could 
never  be  heard  through  five  brick  walls  with  doors 
all  closed.  Failing  to  get  me  in  that  scheme,  the 
next  plan  was  to  meet  me  at  night  and  murder 
me.  They  saw  I  was  unsophisticated.  They  did 
not  know  whether  I  had  any  money  or  not ;  but 
they  knew  I  had  a  watch.  I  had  but  one  friend 
in  the  city,  and  that  was  Colonel  Williams,  whose 
bravery  in  the  late  war  had  won  for  him  the  rank 
and  the  honorable  title  he  bears.  I  went  and 
found  him.  I  said,  "  Colonel,  let  us  get  a  couple 
of  good  navy  revolvers  ;  and  I  want  you  to  go 
with  me  to-night."  I  then  related  the  whole  story 
of  the  ring  and  lottery  room  to  him,  and  told  him 
that  I  had  concluded  that  they  had  a  plot  to  rob 
me,  and'  I  wanted  him  to  go  with  me  and  let  us  be 
prepared  to  meet  them.  He  thought  the  matter 
over  awhile  and  said,  very  positively,  "  You  are  not 
goingy  I  insisted  that  we  must  go,  but  he  was 
firm,  and  said  "  No  "  every  time.  I  can  see  now 
that  he  was  right. 

When  I  returned  home  I  asked  Mrs.  Howe 
about  the  diamond  ring,  and  she  knew  nothing 
about  it. 

Some  years  after  the  experience   I   have   just 


208     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN    A.   CARGILE. 

related  I  was  on  my  way  to  Texas.  In  Memphis 
I  fell  in  with  a  family  consisting  of  husband,  wife, 
and  a  niece,  with  whom  I  was  acquainted,  who 
were  on  their  way  to  Texas.     The   most  of  the 

night  was  spent  in  the  sitting-room.      Bro.  N 

said  to  me,  "  Do  you  remember  Billy  Carter  who 
fell  dead  at  the  hotel  door  in  Stevenson  a  few 
years  ago.^"  I  told  him  I  knew  the  man  well. 
He  said,  "One  of  his  cousins  is  here."  I  asked, 
"  How  do  you  know  he  is  Carter's  cousin  V  He 
replied,  "  Well,  I  got  to  talking  with  him  and 
asked  him  his  name,  and  he  said  it  was  Carter. 
Then  I  asked  him  if  he  was  a  relative  of  Billy 
Carter,  and  he  said,  Yes,  they  were  cousins.  He 
lives  in  the  very  town  I  am  going  to  in  Texas  and 
has  a  store  there."  I  remarked,  "You  just  let 
Carter's  cousin  alone."  He  said,  "Oh,  he  is  all 
right  ;  he  ir.  a  nice  man." 

Next  day  on  the  train  Bro.  N said,  "  Carter 

is  on  the  train."  While  we  sat  together  talking  a 
little,  curly-headed  dude,  with  red  mustache,  came 

through   the  car,  when  Bro.  N called  to  him, 

saying,  "  Here,  Mr.  Carter,  I  want  to  introduce 
you  to  one  of  my  friends  from  Alabama."  Placing 
his  index  finger  on  his  lips,  Carter  said,  "  In  a 
minute,  sir,"  and  passed  on  ;  but  he  never  returned 
for  the  introduction. 

We  reached  Little  Rock  at  noon,  and  had  to 
•wait  till  midnight  for  the  Iron  Mountain  train  for 


BEAR   STORY    AND    PICKPOCKETS.  209 

Texas.     About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  Bro. 

N came  to    me   on  the    platform,    and    said, 

"Why,  Carter  is  here;  I  have  just  been  talking 
with  him.  He  is  a  nice  man,  and  says  he  will  fur- 
nish me  my  family  supplies  out  of  his  store  in 
Texas  to  make  my  first  crop,  and  will  wait  for  the 
pay  till  next  fall."  I  repeated  the  words,  "I  have 
told  you  to  let  Carter  alone."  He  replied,  "Bro. 
John,  you  are  mistaken  in  that  fellow  ;  he  is  a 
nice  man." 

About  two  hundred  emigrants  were  waiting  for 
the  train,  and  when  it  rolled  into  the  station  there 
was  a  general  rush.  I  was  among  the  first  to 
board  the  train  and  get  seated.  A  long,  lank  fellow 
got  about  midway  of  the  car,  and,  playing  off 
drunk,  he  stretched  himself  across  the  aisle,  mak- 
ing an  obstruction  from  there  to  the  rear  end  of 

the  car.      Bro.  N ,  his  wife,  and  niece  were  all 

standing.  Carter  came  crowding  along  and  yelled 
out  as  one  having  authority,  "  Look  here,  gentle- 
men, have  you  no  manners.^  Some  of  you  give 
these  ladies  seats."  Supposing  that  he  was  an 
official,  two  seats  were  at  once  vacated  just  oppo- 
site where  I  sat.     Having  seated  the  two  ladies  in 

one,  he  said,  "  Here,  Mr.  N ,  be  seated  here," 

and  when  Bro.  N took  the  inner  end   of    the 

other  vacated  seat,  Carter  occupied  the  end  next 
to  the  aisle.  Just  then  another  dude  entered  the 
car  hastily,  and  tapping  Carter  on  the  shoulder, 


2IO     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN    A.   CARGILE. 

said,  "See,  Mr.  Carter,  you  have  not  paid  me  that 
freight."  Looking  surprised,  Carter  replied,  "  Well, 
I  declare !  I  had  forgotten  that  ;  I  will  send  it  to 
you  as  soon  as  I  get  home."  "  No,"  said  the  man, 
"  we  don't  do  business  in  that  way.  I  shall  not 
ship  the  goods  till  you  pay  the  money."  Carter 
drew  a  paper  from  his  pocket  and  handed  it  to  the 
would-be  agent,  saying,  "  Here,  cash  this,  then, 
and  take  out  your  freight."  The  man  looked  at 
the  paper  and  said,  "  Pshaw !  cash  a  thousand- 
dollar  check  for  just   twenty-five  dollars.     No,  I 

won't,"  and  he  started  out.     Turning  to  Bro.  N 

Carter  said,  "  Mr.  N ,  have  you  twenty-five  dol- 
lars that  you  can  spare  till  we  get  home  ?  If  so, 
I  will  hand  it  back  as  soon  as  we  get  there."     Bro. 

N ,  as  innocent  as  a  child,  said,  "  My  wife  has 

twenty-five  dollars,"  and  turning  to  her  said,  "  Give 
me  that  money."  She  spoke  very  pointedly,  say- 
ing, "  I  would  not  let  him  have  it,  Pleasant."  He 
said,  "  Oh,  it  is  all  right  ;  he  will  pay  it  back  as 
soon  as  we  get  home."  She  passed  the  money 
over  to  her  husband,  who  handed  it  to  Carter.  As 
soon  as  he  received  the  money  he  crowded  his  way 
toward  the  door  as  fast  as  he  could  through  the 
crowd,  calling  for  the  agent  to  "hold  on  there." 
Just  then  the  train  started,  —  the  man  who  claimed 
to  be  drunk  went  out  of  the  front  end  of  the  car, 
and  we  soon  found  that  eight  persons  had  had 
their  pockets  picked  in  those  few  minutes,  and 


BEAR   STORY   AND    PICKPOCKETS.  211 

Bro.  N had  loaned  the  rascals  the  last  dollar 

he  or  his  family  had,  and  that  money  had  been 
given  his  wife  by  a  loving  son  when  they  started. 
They  were  several  hundred  miles  from  their  jour- 
ney's end  and  with  but  scanty  rations. 

When  we  got  to  Sherman,  where  we  were  to 
separate,  I  bought  my  ticket  for  CoUinsville,  and 
had  three  dollars  and  twenty  cents  left.     I   said, 

"  Here,  Bro.   N ,  is  all  I  have ;  take  it  to  buy 

something  to  eat  on  your  way."  He  said,  "Bro. 
John,  I  don't  know  when  I  can  ever  pay  it  back." 
I  said,  "  I  don't  want  you  to  pay  it  back,  you  are 
welcome  to  it."  He  turned  away  as  the  tears 
started  in  his  eyes,  saying,  "  I  never  gan  do  that, 
Bro.  John."  That  is  the  last  I  ever  saw  or  heard 
of  that  dear  man  or  his  family. 

During  the  Centennial  I  passed  through  Phila- 
delphia at  two  in  the  morning.  When  the  train 
stopped,  two  men,  with  great  clubs  in  their  hands, 
came  and  tried  to  pick  up  my  valise  from  between 
the  seats,  but  I  spoke  so  loudly  they  turned  and 
ran  out  of  the  rear  end  of  the  car  ;  but  as  they 
passed  by  the  third  seat  from  mine,  they  seized 
the  valise  of  a  man  who  was  asleep  and  ran  out 
with  it.  When  the  poor  man  was  awakened  he 
told  us  that  he  lived  in  South  Alabama,  and  had 
come  to  visit  the  Centennial,  and  that  his  valise 
contained  his  wallet  with  eight  hundred  dollars, 
which  was  all  the  money  he  had  with  him  except  a 


212      AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

few  dollars  for  pocket  change.  I  have  learned  by- 
experience  that  when  traveling  in  strange  cities  I 
need  but  very  few  intimate  friends.  And  I  pro- 
pose to  get  along  without  the  aid  of  strangers  who 
feign  friendship  to  get  a  chance  to  steal.  "A 
word  to  the  wise  is  sufficient." 


CHAPTER   IX. 

EXPERIENCES    IN     1873    AND     1874. 

When  I  was  excluded  from  the  Baptist  Church 
on  account  of  the  truth,  I  told  my  wife  not  to 
leave  them,  but  to  go  to  meeting  every  oppor- 
tunity, and  that  I  would  go  with  her  when  I  could. 
A  few  weeks  afterward,  being  at  home  at  the  time 
of  their  regular  meeting,  I  attended  with  her. 
Uncle  Sam  preached,  and  closed  the  meeting 
without  giving  me  any  attention.  He  had  always 
treated  me  with  such  kindness  that  now  his  appar- 
ent coldness  was  a  little  more  than  my  wife  was 
prepared  for.  After  the  meeting  was  over  she 
approached  Uncle  Sam  and  said,  "  Bro.  Beene,  I 
would  have  called  for  a  letter  of  dismission  from 
the  church  to-day  if  you  had  not  turned  me  out." 
Looking  her  eagerly  in  the  face,  he  said,  "Why, 
no,  Sr.  Nannie,  we  only  turned  Bro.  John  out  ; 
you  are  still  with  us."  She  asked,  much  to  my 
surprise,  "  Don't  the  Bible  say  that  John  and  I 
are  one  .-' "  Of  course  he  could  only  answer  in  the 
affirmative,  when  she  replied,  "  Well,  then,  when 
you  turned  him  out  that  let  me  out  too."     So  say- 


214     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

ing  she  walked  out,  and  that  was  her  last  experi- 
ence with  them. 

Without  any  premeditation,  when  I  was  on  my 
knees  before  God,  I  said,  "  O  Lord  !  wherever  you 
will  give  me  seve}i  members,  I  will  feel  it  my  duty 
to  organize  a  church."  I  don't  know  why  I  said 
"seven,"  unless  the  Spirit  led  me,  and  I  have  ever 
kept  the  pledge  sacredly. 

I  was  pitching  a  corn  crop  for  the  season,  ex- 
pecting to  cultivate  it  myself.  I  plowed  hard  all 
day  and  read  nights,  and  my  night  reading  fur- 
nished food  for  thought  next  day  while  in  the 
farm.  In  April  I  had  my  ground  broken  and 
began  checking  it  into  rows  for  planting.  I  would 
start  from  the  fence  with  my  rows  a  proper  dis- 
tance apart,  and  then  in  my  mind  I  would  take  a 
text  and  begin  to  preach.  Forgetting  the  plow- 
ing and  everything  else,  except  my  subject,  I  let 
my  horse  take  his  own  way.  First,  I  let  the 
plow  run  into  the  last  row.  Feeling  ashamed 
of  myself,  I  turned  back  to  the  fence  and  started 
again,  feeling  thankful  that  nobody  was  passing 
along  the  road  to  see  me.  Soon  I  was  preaching 
again,  and  the  next  thing  was  to  find  my  horse 
and  plow  ten  feet  from  the  other  row.  I  took 
my  horse  from  the  plow  and  fell  on  my  knees 
by  the  trunk  of  a  black-walnut  tree  and  made  a 
new  consecration.  Going  to  the  house  I  said  to 
wife,  "Nancy,  I  am  not  going  to  plow  any  more!" 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1873    AND    1874.  21 5 

She  asked,  "What  are  you  going  to  do?"  I 
answered,  "  I  am  going  to  preach  !  "  She  replied, 
"  Yes !  and  what  will  become  of  me,  and  these 
three  children?"  I  told  her,  "Down  yonder, 
under  the  big  walnut-tree,  I  gave  you  to  God  a 
few  minutes  ago,  and  if  he  lets  you  starve,  it  is  not 
my  business  !  " 

Some  of  my  brethren  who  had  excluded  me 
from  their  fellowship  spread  the  news  that  the 
Adventists  up  North  had  bought  me  for  six  hun- 
dred dollars,  and  that  they  were  to  give  me  so 
much  for  every  sermon.  Everybody  knowing  that 
the  Primitive  Baptists  did  not  believe  in  paying 
preachers,  would  more  readily  believe  that  I  was 
leaving  them  for  money.  While  I  was  a  Baptist  I 
worked  all  the  week  and  preached  Sundays,  which 
made  it  pretty  easy  living.  But  when  I  got  hold 
of  the  grand  old  Advent  truth,  it  took  me  right 
out  from  between  the  plow  handles,  and  sent  me 
in  different  directions,  and  kept  me  preaching  all 
the  time. 

Soon  my  scant  supply  ran  down,  and  I  was 
sorely  tried.  It  would  not  do  to  say  "  Money," 
for  then  everybody  would  believe  just  what  had 
been  reported,  and  so  I  suffered  on  in  the  work. 
I  went  over  to  Salem  church,  where  I  had  been 
pastor.  Dear  Bro.  Wilkinson  said  to  me,  "We 
want  you  to  organize  a  church  to-morrow!"  I 
asked,  "  How  many  members  can  I  get  ?  "     He 


2l6     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN    A.   CARGILE. 

said  they  had  six  names.  I  told  him  about  my 
pledge  to  the  Lord,  and  that  I  could  not  organize 
with  less  than  seven.  "Well,"  said  he,  "you've 
got  to  baptize  Andy  Gass  and  me,  anyway  !  "  I 
told  him  I  could  do  that.  So  next  morning  we 
started  to  the  Millpond  to  baptize  them.  On  the 
way  a  brother  said  he  should  like  to  be  baptized 
too,  and  go  with  us.  I  told  him  I  would  gladly 
take  him.  He  was  baptized  with  the  other  two. 
While  at  the  water  a  widowed  sister  .said,  "  If  you 
think  me  fit,  you  can  put  my  name  on  that  paper 
too." 

So  I  returned  to  the  house  and  formed  my 
first  church,  with  eight  members.  God  blessed 
us  wonderfully.  I  shall  never  forget  the  remark 
of  old  Father  Gass,  who  did  not  belong  to  any 
church  :  "  Gentlemen,  you  need  not  fight  it.  If  it 
is  of  God,  you  can't  overthrow  it.  If  it  is  not,  it 
will  fall  of  itself ! "  I  returned  home  as  I  had 
gone,  on  foot,  twenty  miles,  to  find  my  home  affairs 
anything  but  encouraging.  "  Papa,  we  are  out  of 
meat,  and  we  need  some  flour  and  meal  too." 
Besides,  I  had  promised  a  man  three  dollars,  and 
it  would  be  due  in  ten  days.  I  had  three  weeks' 
appointments  out,  and  what  should  I  do  .'  If  I 
stopped  and  laid  up  my  Bible  to  work  it  out,  I 
could  not  earn  more  than  fifty  cents  per  day,  and 
that  would  not  more  than  support  us,  and  I  could 
see  no  possible  chance  to  gain  anything  to  pay  the 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1873   AND    1874.  21/ 

debt.  How  the  enemy  tried  me  there  !  I  looked 
back  only  three  months  to  my  vow  made  under 
that  walnut-tree,  when  I  left  my  plow  in  the 
field.  I  was  tempted  to  say,  "  I  will  not  go  to  my 
appointments,  but  will  see  if  I  can  get  any  work." 
I  thought  I  would  pray  about  it.  My  wife  was 
asleep.  I  rose  from  my  sleepless  couch  and  went 
out  behind  the  smoke-house,  and,  stretching  myself 
on  the  ground,  I  cried  unto  God.  I  told  him  that 
he  would  not  let  me  plow,  and  that  I  had  left  all 
in.  his  hands,  and  had  gone  for  his  glory,  and  the 
good  of  the  cause  of  truth.  I  begged  that  if  it 
really  was  my  duty  to  go  in  his  name,  that  the 
way  might  be  opened  for  me  to  get  through 
that  strait  honorably.  It  seemed  while  I  con- 
tinued to  wrestle  in  prayer  with  almost  a  broken 
heart,  that  a  flood  of  light  came  into  my  soul,  and 
the  burden  of  care  left  me.  The  remainder  of 
that  night  I  rested  well.  Next  morning  a  Method- 
ist neighbor  sent  me  a  whole  side  of  meat !  I 
don't  suppose  that  he  ever  knew  our  condition. 
This  encouraged  me,  and  I  bought  meal  and  flour 
on  credit,  and  went  on  to  my  appointments.  I 
returned  after  the  first  week,  to  look  after  my 
family,  not  having  received  a  single  cent  on  the 
way. 

A  letter  awaited  me  which  I  opened.  It  was 
from  dear  Sr.  Hastings,  and  in  it  was  another  let- 
ter which  began  as  follows  :  — 


2l8     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

A ,  Maine. 

Dear  Sister  Hastings:  —  There  is  a  man 
somewhere  in  the  South  whose  name  is  Cargile, 
who  preaches  the  gospel.  He  lives,  I  think,  in 
Tennessee.  I  feel  deeply  impressed  to  send  him 
ten  dollars.  I  can't  shake  it  off ;  and,  believing  it 
to  be  a  divine  impression,  I  inclose  it  to  you. 
Please  forward  it  to  him." 

How  my  very  soul  leaped  for  joy,  while  the 
tears  ran  down  my  face  ! 

That  was  my  first  experience  on  this  line,  but 
I  said,  "I  will  never  distrust  the  Lord  again."  I 
started  out  anew,  and  with  fresh  courage  I  took 
the  cars  to  Whiteside,  Tenn.  Leaving  the  train,  I 
carried  both  my  heavy  satchels,  filled  with  tracts, 
five  miles  to  Bro.  Hale's,  who  was  one  of  my  good 
primitive  brethren.  Next  morning  he  kindly  fur- 
nished me  a  horse  to  ride  to  Trenton,  Ga.,  where  I 
found  the  Devil  held  the  fort  and  the  church  doors 
locked.  The  people  were  excitedly  discussing  the 
matter.  An  unconverted  young  man  opened  the 
church,  and  I  preached  to  about  twenty  men. 
That  night,  despite  a  heavy  'rain,  the  house  was 
full. 

One  minister  thought  he  had  ruined  me  on  the 
soul  and  kingdom.  I  replied  the  next  night  ;  and 
the  people  said  I  proved  everything  by  the  Bible. 
I    spent    the  days  alone  in  a  room  of   the  court- 


EXPERIENCES   IN    1873   AND    1874.  219 

house,  writing  my  reply  to  Dr.  Newton,  Every- 
body seemed  cool,  or  at  least  I  thought  they  did. 
One  day  a  young  lawyer  came  to  the  window  and 
tossed  a  little  ball  into  my  room  about  as  large  as 
a  small  marble,  saying,  "  That  is  yours  ; "  and 
walked  away.  It  rolled  under  my  chair.  I  picked 
it  up,  and,  on  opening  it,  found  that  it  was  a  five- 
dollar  bill.  God  blessed  my  labors  there  during 
the  week. 

At  Shiloh,  in  October,  Brother  Smith  and  myself 
spent  seven  days,  and  saw  fifteen  converted.  The 
twenty-sixth  day  of  October,  this  year,  1873,  fell 
on  Sunday.  It  was  my  thirtieth  birthday.  I 
was  at  Ooltewah,  and  preached  three  times,  and 
baptized  eight  precious  young  people.  Thence  I 
went  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  crossed  the  river 
into  Edgefield,  where  I  rented  a  hall  belonging  to 
two  brothers  who  were  said  to  be  infidels.  One 
of  them  came  out  the  first  night,  and  heard  me  on 
the  7th  of  Daniel  from  the  chart.  I  was  then 
informed  that  the  hall  was  at  my  service,  free,  as 
long  as  I  wanted  it. 

I  came  back  to  Manchester,  Tenn.,  and  spoke 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Back  home  one  day, 
then  to  Trenton,  Ga.,  again,  where  I  found  the 
people  were  quite  different.  Homes  and  church 
were  all  open  to  receive  me.  It  made  me  feel 
happy.  Aftei*  preaching  there  I  went  to  Bird's 
Chapel  and  Rising  Fawn,  and  scattered  the  blessed 


220     AUTORIOGRAPIIY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

truths.  I  was  much  encouraged  by  the  first  year's 
success  as  an  Adventist.  Instead  of  standing 
alone  now,  churches  had  been  formed  and  helpers 
raised  up,  and  everything  indicated  a  grand  vic- 
tory for  the  truth. 

In  January,  1874,  with  Sr.  Cullar  of  Ooltewah, 
I  went  to  Philadelphia  and  Mouse  Creek,  Tenn. 
She  had  a  daughter  living  at  each  place.  When 
we  arrived  at  the  first-named  place  it  seemed  like 
anything  but  "  brotherly  love,"  as  the  name  signi- 
fied. One  man  said  there  was  a  preacher  in  North 
Carolina  who  had  stolen  a  man's  wife  and  ran 
away,  and  that  they  would  better  have  nothing  to 
do  with  me.  At  Mouse  Creek  they  had  no  chapel  : 
the  school  was  in  session,  so  I  could  not  use  that 
house.  We  were  refused  the  freight-room  of  the 
depot.  It  was  raining,  but  I  proposed  to  stand  in 
the  mud  and  preach  to  the  people  in  their  wagons 
and  standing  on  the  street.  One  unconverted 
man  invited  me  into  his  house,  where  the  power  of 
God  came  down  ;  and  while  I  spoke  from  the 
words,  "  When  the  Son  of  man  cometh  shall  he 
find  faith  on  the  earth.'"  Luke  18  :  8,  everybody 
was  melted  to  tears.  After  I  entered  the  train  a 
man  handed  me  -16.2  5  they  had  made  up  in  the 
crowd  after  I  started. 

Returning  home  I  made  my  second  trip  to 
Nashville,  where  Bro.  Fraley,  a  Methodist  preacher, 
allowed    me    to    preach    in    his    harness-shop    on 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1873   AND    1874.  221 

Cherry  Street.  I  found  Bros.  Barr,  Hooberry,  and 
Stone,  who  claimed  to  believe  the  things  I  preached. 
Bro.  Barr  joined  the  Christian  Church,  and  I 
never  knew  what  became  of  the  other  two.  On 
my  way  home  I  called  at  Manchester  again  ;  and 
the  Christian  Church  refused  to  allow  me  to  speak 
in  their  chapel.  That  was  the  first  time  I  was 
ever  denied  the  use  of  a  chapel  belonging  to  that 
denomination. 

I  have  since  been  refused  once  more  by  the 
same  denomination,  or  their  officers,  in  Augusta, 
Ga.  They  are  generally  a  very  liberal  class,  as 
their  name  indicates.  But  God  was  with  me,  and 
truth  spread  rapidly,  as  reports  I  have  taken  from 
the  old  file  of  the  Crisis  will  show,  a  few  of  which 
I  give  my  readers. 

TO   THE  A.   A.   M.   SOCIETY. 

FROM  TENNESSEE,  ALABAMA,  AND  GEORGIA. 

Dear  Brethren  :  —  I  have  been  trying  for 
some  time  to  labor  more  earnestly  for  my  Master 
than  I  have  ever  done  before.  I  have  had  great 
reason  to  rejoice  and  thank  the  Lord  for  the  bless- 
ing on  my  feeble  efforts.  The  first  Sabbath  in 
May  I  attended  two  funerals,  sons  of  Colonel  John 
F.  Anderson,  at  Catchings,  Tenn.  :  spoke  to  the 
largest  congregation  I  ever  saw.  I  hope  some 
good  was  done.     The  second  Sabbath  I  was  at  our 


222     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

church  "  Shiloh,"  in  DeKalb  Co.,  Ala.,  and  preached 
the  funeral  sermon  of  Sr.  Sarah  Daniel,  one 
of  the  beloved  and  faithful  of  our  little  com- 
pany.    Bro.  J.  J.  Smith  was  with  me,  also  a  Bro. 

S ,  who  voted   to  turn  me  out  of  the  Baptist 

Church.  He  is  now  preaching  the  same  things 
he  then  called  heresy.  Had  a  good  meeting  from 
Saturday  till  Monday,  only  I  was  very  weak,  and 
not  able  to  labor  much,  except  at  the  funeral,  and 
then  I  became  so  exhausted  that  I  had  to  close  a 
little  too  soon. 

The  third  Sabbath  I  tried  to  preach  the  funeral 
sermon  of  Sr.  L.  S.,  in  Georgia.  At  the  close  a 
minister  told  the  people  he  did  not  believe  God 
would  let  the  old  thief  into  Paradise  the  day  he 
was  crucified,  and  then  keep  that  sainted  sister 
slumbering  there  till  the  resurrection.  He  then 
affirmed,  "  She  is  in  heaven."  We  merely  told  the 
people  we  were  surprised  to  see  him  take  such  a 
course  on  a  funeral  occasion,  and,  as  he  had  mis- 
quoted the  Scripture,  we  would  not  reply  then. 
We  have  since  written  to  him,  by  the  advice  of 
three  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  his  county, 
two  of  them  his  brethren,  proposing  to  give  him  a 
fair  opportunity  to  defend  his  position,  and  prove 
his  assertion  ;  have  not  heard  from  him  yet. 

Fourth  Saturday  at  Bethel  Church,  near  Oolte- 
wah,  Tenn.  I  had  a  good  time.  Sunday  we  had 
the  communion,   which   I  really  believe  was    the 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1S73   AND    1874.  223 

most  melting,  precious  sacrament  I  ever  enjoyed. 
We  received  one  into  the  fellowship  of  the  church, 
and  closed  with  an  overflow  of  the  Spirit.  Here  I 
met  Srs.  Phifer  and  Fleming.  The  former  lives 
in  Philadelphia,  and  the  latter  at  Mouse  Creek, 
Tenn.,  where  we  spent  a  week  last  winter.  We 
were  much  encouraged  to  learn  from  them  that 
the  seed  sown  in  their  locality  has  taken  deep 
root  ;  and  I  hope  and  believe  in  good  soil.  We 
expect  to  revisit  those  places  again  some  time 
this  summer.  Those  people  up  there  have  con- 
vinced me  that  they  love  God's  word  in  its  purity. 
I  am  praying  that  while  they  read  these  glorious 
truths  they  may  be  filled  with  love  for  God,  and 
drawn  to  the  cross  of  Jesus  more  closely  every 
day  ;  for  they  will  need  more  and  more  of  his 
grace  to  sustain  them  as  they  advance  to  charge 
the  breastworks  of  Satan. 

Brethren,  I  have  gained  a  standpoint  in  my  reli- 
gious course  where  I  can  just  see  where  I  must  be 
to  enjoy  "perfect  love,"  and  fill  the  gospel  mold 
as  a  watchman  on  the  walls  of  Zion  ;  but  oh  !  I 
am  not  so  near  the  point  as  my  soul  desires.  I 
have  been  earnestly  praying  for  two  weeks  to 
simply  be  altogether  absorbed  in  God's  love.  Pray 
for  me,  all  ye  that  believe  Father  will  hear  his 
children  when  they  pray.  I  am  in  the  field,  and 
if  I  die  before  the  Master  comes,  I  want  to  die  at 
my  post,  telling  the  church  he  is  near.     Oh,  that 


224     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

the  time  might  be  ushered  in  when  we  as  a  people 
could  all  be  "a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good 
works"!  J.    A.    Cargile. 

Stevenson,  Ala.,  May  26,  1874. 

FURTHER    FROM    THE    CRISIS. 

•'  ALL    THINGS     WORK    TOGETHER     FOR     GOOD     TO 
THEM    THAT    LOVE    GOD." 

Friday  before  the  fifth  Sunday  in  May  I  started 
to  meet  Bro.  J.  J.  Smith  at  Goose-pond  neighbor- 
hood, where  I  found  an  appointment  for  me  at 
night,  which  I  tried  to  fill,  in  a  Presbyterian  house 
jammed  full  of  very  attentive  listeners.  The  next 
morning  when  passing  a  cotton-gin  with  two  breth- 
ren I  observed,  not  far  distant,  and  at  a  spring  of 
good  water  in  a  group  of  half  a  dozen  trees  in- 
side the  field,  a  lot  of  seats  thrown  together  by 
placing  some  logs  and  then  some  loose  planks 
over  them.  Between  those  seats  and  the  water 
a  pole  was  stuck  in  the  ground,  standing  about  six 
feet  high,  on  the  top  of  which  was  a  piece  of  board 
about  six  inches  square.  I  asked  the  brethren,' 
"  What  does  this  mean  }  Have  you  been  having 
a  picnic-party,  or  a  barbecue  here  .'' "  to  which  the 
owner  of  the  farm  replied,  "  No,  sir  ;  old  Bro. 
Smith  has  been  preaching  there  by  moonlight, 
and  that  pole  held  the  lamp  by  which  he  read  the 
word."  He  continued  :  "  They  would  not  open 
their  church  to  him  ;  and  I  told  them  that  I  wanted 


EXPERIE^'CES    IN    1S73   AND    1874.  225 

the  very  detvs  of  Jieavcn  to  moisten  his  old  gray 
hairs  as  a  witness  against  them." 

I  found  that  Bro.  S had  done  a  mighty  work 

in  that  community.  Many  of  the  most  influential 
citizens  are  awakened  to  a  new  energy  in  vital 
godliness,  and  diligently  searching  the  Scriptures. 

I  then  met  Bro.  S at  Concord,  and  found  the 

same  interest.  I  returned  Sunday  evening  to  the 
place  where  I  spoke  Friday  night.  One  minister 
told  the  people  that  that  was  "  the  only  soft  place 
Cargile  and  Smith  had  ever  found,  for  people 
everywhere  else  were  too  sensible  to  go  out  to 
hear  them." 

After  my  return,  I  spent  the  week  and  following 
Sunday  in  my  own  community,  preaching  almost 
every  night,  and  baptized  one.  The  second  Sun- 
day I  visited  "  Shiloh  "  church,  and  had  a  precious 
time.  Had  a  Sunday  school  ;  baptized  one,  and 
spoke  three  times.  The  following  week  I  visited 
a  new  place  near  Tantallon,  Tenn.  Had  a  good 
time  and  much  interest.  Have  spent  this  week, 
day  and  night,  preaching  at  home.  To-day  I  bap- 
tized two  more  dear  ones  considerably  advanced 
in  age.  This  makes  fifty-three  I  have  buried  since 
I  became  an  Advent  preacher.  The  prospect  is 
very  flattering  at  present.  I  spoke  on  the  bank 
of  the  stream  to-day  from  Rev.  i  :  7,  and  tried  to 
show  that  the  coming  of  Jesus  is  the  only  hope  of 
the  church.      Had  a  precious   time   and   left  an 


226     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

appointment  to  form  a  church.  In  three  weeks 
I  have  tried  to  preach  about  forty  times. 

As  I  see  the  day  of  the  Lord  is  coming,  I  feel 
that  I  must  be  continually  in  the  field.  I  have 
rested  two  nights  in  three  weeks,  and  now  my 
work  is  arranged  so  that  I  will  only  rest  one  night 
until  the  second  Sabbath  in  July.  Dear  brethren 
and  sisters,  pray  for  your  unworthy  brother  in 
tribulation. 

On  Saturday  before  the  fourth  Sabbath  in  June, 
I  started  for  Ooltewah,  East  Tennessee,  after 
having  stopped  to  rest  from  preaching  one  day. 
Found  the  church  (Bethel)  well,  and  struggling 
hard  against  the  wiles  of  Satan.  Sunday  morning, 
baptized  one  dear  sister,  who  was  received  into 
the  fellowship  of  the  church.  Had  a  good  time 
preaching  on  church  discipline.  Monday,  I  went 
to  Mouse  Creek,  in  McMinn  Co.  Visited  as 
many  of  the  dear  brethren  and  sisters  as  I  could, 
and  tried  to  speak  Monday  and  Tuesday  evenings 
in  the  village,  and  Tuesday  at  eleven  a.m.,  two 
miles  out,  where  we  spoke  in  the  dwelling  of 
Bro.  Madison  Johnson,  who,  with  his  aged  and 
sociable  companion,  made  us  feel  at  home.  Wed- 
nesday, went  to  Philadelphia,  and  spoke  in  the  M. 
E.  church.  Thursday  at  ten  a.m.,  being  very 
kindly  invited,  I  spoke  in  the  Baptist  Church,  which 
was  closed  against  me  last  winter  when  there. 
Found  all  the  people  at  Mouse  Creek  and  Phila- 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1873   AND    1874.  227 

delphia  very  kind,  and  manifesting  great  interest 
in  the  truth.  The  precious  seed  sown  there  last 
winter  by  such  poor  instrumentality  has  taken 
deep  root  in  good  hearts,  and  they  are  now  re- 
joicing in  the  light. 

Thursday  I  returned  home,  stayed  only  one 
day,  then  left  my  dear  wife  and  children  to  attend 
two  funerals  on  Sunday.  Saturday  night,  spoke 
to  a  very  large  and  attentive  audience  in  the  door- 
yard  of  the  dwelling  of  Bro.  J.  West.  On  Sunday 
morning,  learning  that  a  son  of  the  deceased 
whose  funeral  sermon  I  expected  to  preach,  having 
recently  arrived  from  California,  manifested  some 
objection,  we  refused  to  preach  the  funeral  sermon, 
but  spoke  on  the  Bible  hope  of  man.  Four 
ministers  were  present.  One  old  blind  brother,  a 
Baptist  minister,  being  invited  to  close,  gave  a  few 
cross  fires,  such  as,  "When  the  body  dies,  the 
soul  goes  to  God  till  the  resurrection  ;  then  it  is 
reunited  with  the  body.  Then  will  the  saints  be 
made  perfect  and  enjoy  perfect  happiness,"  etc. 
As  he  was  blind,  we  asked  the  privilege  to  explain 
the  difference  between  soul  and  spirit  and  correct 
his  quotations  from  Solomon,  which  was  granted. 
Sunday  night  at  Bro.  John  F.  Anderson's,  near 
Anderson  Station,  we  had  a  precious  season  in 
telling  the  nearness  of  the  Lord's  coming. 

Monday  morning  came   to  this   place   (Cowan, 
Tenn.),  and  found   several  strange  brethren  who 


228      AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

were  very  kind.  Spent  the  day  with  brother  J.  M. 
Stewart,  at  whose  house  I  am  now,  and  who,  with 
his  amiable  wife,  has  made  us  feel  welcome. 
Monday  night  spoke  from  Acts  i  :  6.  Three 
ministers  were  present,  two  Christian  and  one 
Methodist.  They  were  invited  to  seats  if  they 
loved  Jesus.  The  Christian  Church  believe  the 
kingdom  was  set  up  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  and 
of  course  their  theory  was  in  jeopardy.  They 
both  endeavored  to  overthrow  what  had  been  said. 
They  seemed  very  much  agitated,  and  very 
abruptly,  as  I  thought,  gave  the  people  to  under- 
stand that  I  missed  the  truth.  I  submitted  myself 
into  the  hands  of  God,  who  filled  me  with  his  love, 
and  made  me  perfectly  happy,  so  that  I  could  not 
be  offended.  We  had  considerable  cross  firing, 
much  to  the  interest  of  the  audience,  as  it  was  the 
first  sermon  they  had  ever  had  on  our  views  at 
this  place.  It  all  passed  off  in  love,  and  I  believe 
God  sanctified  the  effort  to  some  good.  I  spent 
the  night  and  following  day  with  Bro.  James 
Sargent,  who  had  invited  me  to  this  village,  and 
who  with  his  family  evinced  much  love  for  Jesus. 
Tuesday  night  I  spoke  on  the  inheritance,  and  had 
a  good  season.  A  Bro.  Darrell  of  Winchester, 
Tenrj^,  freely  and  fully  indorsed  the  sermon,  and 
we  closed  with  good  feeling  in  the  audience. 
Went  with  Bro.  and  Sr.  D.  D.  Burke  to  spend  the 
night,  and  till    noon   next   day.     I  must   say  that 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1873   AND    1874.  229 

the  people  of  this  place,  as  a  general  thing,  have 
manifested  more  Christian  courtesy  toward  me 
than  at  any  nezv  place  I  have  ever  visited.  God 
always  has  broken  down  prejudice  for  me,  after 
my  first  sermon  in  any  place;  but  here  I  found 
none  manifested. 

Yesterday  I  was  closely  reading  a  work  on 
"  The  Gospel  Plan  of  Salvation,"  of  661  pp.,  by 
Dr.  T.  W.  Brents,  of  the  Christian  Church.  He 
was  endeavoring  to  prove  the  establishment  of  the 
kingdom  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  I  was  reading 
to  a  crowd  of  gentlemen,  and  carefully  marking 
what  I  thought  to  be  error  with  a  pencil.  The 
train  rolled  up  to  the  office  where  we  were  investi- 
gating ;  a  stranger  stepped  in,  listened  a  moment, 
and  asked  what  book  we  were  reading.  We  replied, 
"  The  Gospel  Plan  of  Salvation."  He  proved  to 
be  Dr.  T.  W.  Brents,  the  author  of  the  work.  We 
had  about  thirty  minutes  to  talk,  while  the  engine 
was  being  repaired.  I  told  him  that  according  to 
his  view  the  stone  smote  the  image  on  the  legs, 
when  Rome  was  in  her  glory;  whereas  it  was  not 
to  strike  till  it  reached  the  feet.  Last  night 
closed  our  meetings  here,  and  to-day  we  start  for 
home,  to  stay  till  morning,  then  to  DeKalb  Co., 
Ala.  So  you  see  the  Lord  keeps  me  in  the  field. 
I  am  blest  with  better  health  than  when  I  last 
reported. 

Dear  Brethren,  I  must  tell  you  the  Lord  is  gra- 


230     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGH.E. 

cious  to  US  though  we  are  poor  in  this  world.  We 
love  the  Lord,  and  expect  to  be  rich  in  his  kingdom 
soon.  The  people  of  this  place  have  helped  me 
after  a  godly  manner,  so  that  I  have  lost  nothing 
by  coming  to  see  them.  Also  at  Mouse  Creek 
and  Philadelphia,  some  dear  ones  proved  their 
faith  by  their  works  by  ministering  to  my  neces- 
sities. I  received  from  the  people  within  the  last 
month  ten  dollars,  which  is  more  than  I  had 
received  from  my  audiences  in  two  years  before. 
Pray  for  me,  dear  ones. 

Stevenson,  Ala.,  Aug.  31,  1874. 

Two  weeks  ago,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  I 
formed  another  church  in  Alabama,  near  this 
place,  with  eight  lovers  of  truth,  one  of  whom  is 
a  minister.  He  has  become  convinced  of  the 
truth,  and  has  followed  me  in  casting  in  his  lot 
with  the  despised  followers  of  Jesus.  Thank  the 
Lord  !  We  now  have  four  preachers  here,  within 
twenty  miles,  and  we  have  good  reasons  to  look 
for  others  soon.  The  following  two  days  after  the 
church  was  formed  we  continued  the  meeting  with 
Brn.  Smith,  Waldrop,  and  Stewart.  The  next 
Monday  night,  at  Bethesda  Church,  Bro.  J.  J. 
Smith  and  myself  ordained  Bro.  D.  B.  Waldrop  to 
the  work  of  the  gospel. 

The  following  week  we  spent  in  a  revival  meet- 
ing,   conducted    by   the    M.    E.   South    brethren. 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1873   AND    1874.  231 

Seventeen  have  been  converted  and  much  good 
done. 

Friday  night  we  started  for  Philadelphia,  Tenn., 
to  hear  a  discussion  on  the  immortality  of  the 
soul,  between  Bro.  A.  M.  B.  Graham  of  our  faith, 
from  the  Michigan  Conference,  traveling  in  the 
interest  of  a  sewing-machine  company,  and  a 
Bro.  C.  B.  Martin,  of  the  Baptist  Church.  Found 
considerable  excitement.  The  Baptist  Church 
was  closed  against  us,  but  we  were  told  the 
Methodist  brethren  would  open  their  house  for  us, 
and  desired  us  to  preach  that  night.  We  con- 
sented. A  little  after  sunset  we  were  informed 
that  they  had  refused  the  use  of  their  house  to  us. 

Bro.  Graham  and  myself  replied,  "All  right." 
An  aged  gentleman  told  us,  if  we  would  empty 
his  wood-shop,  it  was  free  for  us.  Many  true 
friends  came  to  our  assistance,  and  we  soon  cleared 
the  room  of  some  wagons,  buggies,  and  other 
lumber,  and  by  seven  o'clock  a  small  audience  was 
comfortably  seated  and  ready  to  hear  us  preach 
Jesus.  It  was  the  first  time  we  ever  had  met  Bro. 
Graham,  and  God  blessed  us.    We  had  a  good  time. 

Next  morning,  Sunday,  Bro.  Martin  was  on 
hand  in  good  time ;  but  it  was  very  wet  and  rainy. 
We  mutually  agreed  to  postpone  the  debate  until 
the  next  Sabbath.  We  tried  to  preach  at  eleven 
o'clock  A.M.,  Bro.  Martin  at  four  p.m.,  and  Bro, 
Graham  at  seven  in  the  evening. 


232      AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

I  thank  God  for  sending  Bro.  Graham  to  my 
help  just  at  a  time  when  my  hands  are  so  full  of 
work  for  the  Master.  He  is  a  young  man  of  fine 
talent,  and  with  a  mind  well  stored  with  Bible 
truths,  and  a  heart  brim  full  of  God's  love  —  just 
the  man  I  need.  We  were  only  together  about 
twenty-four  hours,  yet  I  love  him  as  well  as  if  we 
had  known  each  other  all  our  lives. 

In  September,  1874,  I  visited  the  church  at 
Shiloh,  baptized  three,  and  received  two  into  fel- 
lowship ;  held  a  meeting  with  the  church  last 
organized,  called  "  Nazareth."  Bro.  J.  J.  Smith 
was  with  us,  and  gave  us  one  of  his  best  efforts  on 
holy  living,  after  which  we  received  one  into  our 
little  church.  At  night  Bro.  Smith  preached. 
Here  we  understood  that  the  Baptists  and  the 
Methodists  had  given  us  a  few  theological  shots. 
Some  expected  us  to  reply  to  them,  but,  to  the 
disappointment  of  some  and  the  pleasure  of  others, 
I  tried  to  speak  from  Gal.  5  :  i  — "  Stand  fast, 
therefore,  in  the  liberty,"  etc. 

Monday  morning  I  met  the  M.  E.  brother,  —  a 
good  Christian  brother,  too,  — and  told  him  that  I 
had  heard  he  had  challenged  any  man  to  prove  the 
destruction  of  the  wicked,  and  if  he  had,  I  was 
ready  for  the  effort.  He  said  he  did  not  throw  it 
out  as  a  challenge  for  a  debate,  and  did  not  want 
one,  and  if  I  could  refute  his  position,  to  do  so, 
but  he  should  defend  the  doctrines  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church  anyhow. 


EXPERIENCES   IN    1S73   AND    1874.  233 

November  3,  I  wrote  as  follows  :  — 

"  The  past  month  has  been  one  of  sore  trials 
with  me.  The  little  I  have  done  in  the  vineyard 
of  the  Master  has  been  through  much  suffering  of 
the  lungs,  besides  leaving  my  wife  on  a  sick-bed. 
But  I  feel  that  in  weakness  and  weariness  I  have 
done  what  I  could." 

The  first  Sunday  in  October  I  visited  a  new  place, 
and  met  a  large  audience  who  seemed  to  be  im- 
pressed with  the  grand  and  glorious  truths  relating 
to  eternal  life  only  in  Christ.  Next  day  went  to 
Ooltewah.  Tuesday  morning,  with  Bro.  Smith 
(familiarly  known  as  "  Uncle  Silas "),  I  rode  on 
horseback  to  Catoosa  Co.,  Ga.,  where  the  people 
had  heard  such  terrible  things  about  "  the  soul- 
sleepers,"  that  only  five  men  and  about  a  dozen 
women  dared  venture  out  to  hear  the  "  strange 
doctrine."  We  tried  to  give  them  the  Bible  doc- 
trine of  holy  living,  with  which  they  seemed  well 
pleased. 

The  next  week,  on  Monday,  went  to  Shiloh 
Church  in  DeKalb  Co.,  Ala.,  where  we  ought  to 
have  gone  on  Friday  night  before,  but  my  wife 
was  so  ill  I  feared  to  leave  her.  But  the  Lord 
sent  Bro.  J.  J.  Smith  and  D.  B.  Waldrop,  who  kept 
the  meetings  running. 

The  meeting  closed  Wednesday  nignt.  Five 
were  converted,  the  church  encouraged,  and  many 
anxious   ones   left   at    the  altar  of    prayer.     The 


234     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

next  Friday,  Saturday,  and  Sunday  I  was  in  Sink- 
ing Cove,  in  Franklin  Co.,  Tenn.,  where  we  met 
very  large  crowds.  Some  rode  twenty  miles  to 
hear  the  man,  who  (as  had  been  reported)  had 
gone  wild  on  the  study  of  the  Bible.  I  tried  to 
preach,  day  and  night,  and  it  was  said  that  such 
crowds  were  never  known  there  before.  The 
attention  was  all  that  I  could  wish. 

On  Sunday  three  ministers  were  out  to  hear  me 
on  a  funeral  occasion.  Monday  I  returned,  nearly 
exhausted,  and  found  wife  so  ill  that  I  wrote  Bro. 
J.  J.  Smit+i  to  go  in  my  place  to  Goose  Pond,  Ala., 
which  he  did.  Here  he  met  Bro.  Stewart,  and 
held  meetings  a  few  days,  baptized  eleven,  and 
lormed  a  church  of  thirteen  members.  On 
Wednesday,  I  had  considerable  hemorrhage  of  the 
lungs,  which  made  me  feel  that  perhaps  my  ardu- 
ous work  for  my  precious  Jesus  would  soon  be 
finished;  but  I  said,  "Thy  will  be  done."  The 
next  Sunday  in  Peatown,  baptized  one  in  Ten- 
nessee River,  and  with  Brn.  Waldrop  and  Stewart 
(Advent)  and  Brn.  Hulsey  and  Edwards  (Method- 
ist) meetings  continued  till  Wednesday. 

Last  Saturday  morning,  at  two  o'clock  and 
forty-five  minutes,  I  started  through  a  heavy 
frost  and  severe  cold,  and  walked  twenty  miles, 
after  parting  with  my  wife  in  tears,  who  was  still 
sick.  I  kneeled  and  asked  the  Lord  to  make 
duty  plain,  and  the    answer  was    something  like 


EXrEKIENCP:.S    IN    1873   AND    1874.  235 

this :  "  You  tell  others  to  trust  me ;  now  leave 
Nancy  in  my  care  and  go,  for  there  is  work  for 
you  on  your  way."  So  I  took  the  heavy  cross  and 
started  for  Trenton,  Ga. 

On  the  way,  I  stopped  at  Shiloh  Church,  and 
baptized  four.  Then  to  Trenton,  Ga.,  with  twenty 
of  the  brethren  and  sisters  of  Shiloh  Church  who 
all  went  with  me  on  foot,  a  distance  of  six  miles, 
partly  over  and  down  Sand  mountain.  At  night 
spoke  to  a  few  in  town.  Sunday,  a.m.,  one  mile 
from  town  at  the  old  Baptist  Church,  we  spoke  on 
a  funeral  occasion.  Sunday  night,  back  on  the 
mountain  to  an  appointment,  where,  in  spite  of 
the  cold,  the  house  of  Bro.  and  Sr.  Gass  was 
jammed.  I  was  so  nearly  worn  out  that  Bro. 
Willie  Moore  (Methodist)  spoke  first,  after  which  I 
called  for  anxious  ones  to  come  for  prayers.  Fif- 
teen came,  and  we  enjoyed  a  melting  time.  Then 
seven  jt)ined  the  church,  and  one  came  for  bap- 
tism. Praise  the  Lord !  The  little  church  I 
formed  under  fire  of  the  enemy,  with  eight  trust- 
ing ones,  has  now  increased  to  forty  within  less 
than  one  year. 

Yesterday  I  came  home  with  such  a  cold  that  I 
suffered  all  last  night.  This  evening  at  seven 
o'clock  (D.  V.)  I  take  the  cars  for  Memphis, 
Tenn.,  where  I  am  to  stay  over  one  night,  and 
preach  ;  thence  to  Arkansas,  where  I  expect  to 
spend  this  month,  telling  the  people  of  the  com- 
ing kingdom.     Glory  to  God  ! 


236     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOFIN   A.   CARGILE 

My  wife  is  much  better  than  when  I  left  her 
last  Saturday  morning,  and  I  am  encouraged  to 
trust  the  Lord,  and  leave  her  in  his  hands  again, 
feeling  that  if  I  go  in  the  cause  he  will  raise  her 
to  health.  Bless  his  holy  name !  I  have  never 
been  disappointed  yet  when  I  have  gone  with  an 
eye  single  to  his  glory.  Bro.  I.  C.  Wellcome  has 
kindly  sent  me  two  packages  of  tracts,  which, 
with  a  few  of  "  Bible  Theory  of  the  Good  Time 
Coming,"  is  my  supply.  I  mean  to  use  them 
judiciously  in  the  work.  O  brethren,  pray  the 
Lord  to  go  with  me  ! 

On  the  eighteenth  of  November  I  wrote  a  little 
of  my  experience  as  follows  :  — 

I  will  tell  you  how  much  good  a  little  article  in 
the  Crisis,  written  by  Bro.  George  E.  Lee,  has  done 
me.  It  was  on  consecration,  and  written  about 
the  last  of  September,  1872.  I  was  then  and  had 
been  a  slave  of  tobacco  for  years.  • 

I  was  reading  aloud  to  my  wife,  and  at  the  same 
time  "mumbling"  a  "quid"  in  my  mouth,  which 
was  saturated  with  the  filthy  "slop."  I  had  never 
heard  any  one  say  a  word  against  the  use  of  the 
filthy  weed,  and  so  I  was  innocently  and  thought- 
lessly setting  a  bad  example  before  the  church  for 
whom  I  was  trying  to  preach.  In  that  article, 
Bro.  Lee  said,  "  Some  ministers  would  stand  and 
exhort  their  hearers  to  abstain  from  all  manner  of 
filthiness  of  the  flesh,  and  to  present  their  bodies 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1873    AND    1874.  237 

a  living  sacrifice,  holy  and  acceptable  to  the 
Lord,  as  temples  for  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  at  the 
same  time  roll  the  petted  quid  under  their  tongues, 
while  the  juice  might  be  seen  in  the  corners  of 
their  mouths."  I  paused,  looked  at  my  wife,  and 
really  felt  ashamed  of  the  idolized  quid.  I  was 
astonished  to  think  I  had  never  seen  this  evil 
before.  I  had  tried  to  quit,  but  not  from  a  sense 
of  duty  to  God.  I  turned  to  my  wife,  and  with 
a  determined  resolution  spoke  to  her  as  fol- 
lows :  — 

"  Nancy,  by  God's  grace  I  have  taken  my  last 
chew."  And,  praise  the  Lord,  right  there  I 
gained  a  glorious  victory.  I  have  had  no  "  han- 
kerings "  for  tobacco  since,  and  I  have  felt  like  a 
new  man.  My  lungs  were  very  weak,  and  I  could- 
hardly  stand  to  speak  thirty  minutes  ;  now,  glory 
to  God,  I  can  talk  four  times  as  long,  if  need  be, 

and   not    feel   exhausted.     I  want   Bro.   L to 

know  that  he  was  the  instrument  through  whom 
the  Lord  showed  me  this  evil,  and  induced  me  to 
give  it  up. 

On  the  third  day  of  this  month  I  left  my  dear 
family  in  Alabama,  to  preach  the  gospel  of  the 
kingdom  in  this  western  country.  I  met  many 
warm-hearted  friends  about  De  View,  in  Woodruff 
Co.,  where  I  have  been  laboring,  I  trust  with 
good  results.  I  started  for  this  place  to  take  the 
cars  for  Fort  Smith.     Came  to  the  place  appointed 


238     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN    A.   CARGILE. 

for  preaching  last  night.  Found  the  church  closed 
against  me,  but  a  few  strange  friends  met  us  in 
an  old  waste  house,  where  I  tried  to  give  them  the 
first  talk,  on  our  views  of  the  nearness  of  the 
Lord's  coming.  To-day  we  reached  this  town, 
expecting  to  find  an  appointment  out  for  us  ;  but 
learned  that  none  cared  to  hear  us  speak,  as  it 
was  reported  that  we  were  preaching  "dangerous 
heresy."  No  one  said,  "  Come  in  and  tarry  with 
us,"  as  Lydia  did  to  Paul  and  Silas ;  so  we  went 
to  the  Tate  House,  and  put  up  for  the  night. 
The  landlord  soon  told  us  he  could  not  furnish  us 
with  a  bed,  so  I  went  out,  and  found  lodging  in  a 
lunch  house. 

Now  here  I  am  snugly  "stored"  for  the  night. 
The  place  is  better  than  I  deserve.  After  looking 
over  the  Crisis  of  Oct.  28,  1874,  and  reading 
another  article  from  the  same  pen,  on  the  trials 
of  Father's  dear  children,  oh,  what  consolation  it 
gives  me !  I  take  encouragement  from  it.  I 
learned  to-night  that  the  railroad  over  which  I 
must  travel  to-morrow  is  very  dangerous,  but  the 
thought  comes  up,  I  am  going  in  God's  cause,  and 
trials  are  necessary  if  we  would  wear  a  crown. 
So  I  determined  to  trust  God,  and  go  on  sow- 
ing the  precious  seed  through  joy  and  sorrow, 
under  lowering  clouds  as  well  as  bright  sun- 
shine. 

Dr.  R.  H.  Goode  writes  as  follows  :  — 


experiences  in  1s73  and  1s74.  239 

"De  View,  Ark.,  Nov.  17,  1874. 

"Editors  Crisis:  —  As  a  friend  of  the  truth, 
permit  me  through  the  columns  of  your  paper  to 
drop  a  few  random  thoughts  to  the  faithful  ones 
in  Jesus,  that  they  may  learn  something  about 
what  has  been  done  for  the  cause  of  truth  in  this 
out-of-the-way  part  of  the  world. 

"  Some  eight  or  ten  days  ago  the  Rev.  J.  A. 
Cargile,  a  Second  Advent  minister-  from  Alabama, 
and  a  faithful  and  humble  Christian,  came  into 
our  community.  He  came  scattering  religious 
tracts,  and  preaching  day  and  night  to  large  and 
attentive  audiences,  and  the  solemn  truths  enun- 
ciated by  him  have  sunk  deep  into  many  good  and 
honest  hearts  ;  and  in  the  morn  of  the  resurrec- 
tion, we  trust  they  will  shine  as  stars  in  the 
kingdom  of  God.  So  intensely  interested  were 
the  people  that  at  times  you  might  have  heard 
a  pin  drop.  Milton  speaks  of  '  darkness  visible,' 
to  express  intensest  want  of  light  ;  and  we  may 
with  the  same  freedom  of  speech  term  that  deadly 
stillness  as  '  silence  audible.' 

"  Bro.  C came  among  us  a  stranger,  heralded 

by  no  high-sounding  titles,  and  with  no  recom- 
mendation save  the  love  of  God  in  his  heart,  and 
commenced  preaching  the  beauty  and  simplicity 
of  the  Scriptures.  The  effect  on  the  minds  of 
his  hearers  was  electric.  Old  theories  and  pet 
dogmas  in  theology  that  have  been  handed  from 


240     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.   CARGILE. 

parent  to  child  from  generation  to  generation, 
until  they  have  become  as  near  and  dear  to  us  as 
the  parent  who  taught  them,  were  uprooted  and 
torn  from  us  as  chaff  is  blown  before  the  wind  ; 
and  to-day  our  people  are  better  Christians  and 
stronger  believers  in  the  Bible  than  they  were 
before. 

"The  Methodist  officials  closed  the  door  of 
their  church  against  him,  but  God  did  not  forsake 
him.  Friends  sprang  up,  and  private  dwellings, 
schoolhouses,  and  Masonic  halls  flew  open  for  his 
reception  and  use,  and  men  and  women,  irrespec- 
tive of  creeds  or  denomination,  fiocked  to  hear. 

"  Thus  you  see  the  power  and  effect  the  word 
has,  shorn  of  the  shackles  thrown  around  it  by 
the  opinions  of  men." 

The  following  letter  from  the  same  writer  was 
written  after  I  had  passed  through  the  clerical 
slander  detailed  in  Chapters  VI.  and  VII.  It 
should  have  gone  into  the  7th  chapter,  but  as 
that  is  already  in  the  hands  of  the  printer,  I  put 
it  in  this.     He  says: — • 

"De  View,  Ark.,  Dec.  24,  1875. 
"  Editors  Crisis  :  —  As  a  subscriber  to  your 
excellent  paper,  I  beg  the  use  of  its  columns  a 
short  time,  while  I  say  a  few  words  in  behalf  of 
a  good  man.  In  the  fall  of  1874  Eld.  J.  A.  Car- 
gile,    of    Stevenson,    Ala.,    visited   this    place    by 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1873   AND    1.S74.  24I 

request.  He  was  a  stranger  to  the  most  of  us  at 
the  time,  but  his  gentlemanly  deportment  and 
Christian  zeal  soon  won  for  him  the  confidence  of 
the  people.  Bro.  Cargile  remained  on  this  occa- 
sion several  weeks,  holding  meetings  at  various 
places  during  the  time,  and  while  here  no  one 
said  aught  against  him  or  his  preaching. 

"  Ministers  of  the  Christian  and  Baptist  denomi- 
nations took  part  in  these  meetings,  and  manifested 
a  becoming  willingness  to  further  the  cause  of 
Christianity  in  the  community ;  but  the  Method- 
ists held  themselves  aloof.  Not  so,  however, 
with  the  lay  members  of  the  church,  many  of 
whom  were  earnest  and  attentive  listeners  to  Bro, 

C 's  preaching  ;  and  we  trust  when  the  Lord 

comes  to  make  up  his  jewels  they  may  be  found 
worthy  to  receive  the  welcome  plaudit,  —  'Well 
done,  good  and  faithful  servant  ;  thou  hast  been 
faithful  over  a  few  things,  I  will  make  thee  ruler 
over  many  things  ;  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy 
Lord.' 

"  Upon    the    eve    of    starting    for   home    Bro. 

C promised    a    number   of    friends   that    he 

would  return  the  following  spring  or  summer,  and 
establish  an  Advent  church  if  so  desired  ;  but 
owing  to  circumstances  he  did  not  arrive  here 
until  Nov.  21.  In  the  meantime  the  devil  was 
not  idle.  Word  had  gone  forth  that  Cargile  was 
coming   back    to    organize    a   church,    and    some- 


242      AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

thing  must  be  done  to  thwart   the  organization  to 

alienate  the  affections  of  the  people  from  C , 

and  trample  under  foot  the  doctrines  of  which  he 
is  an  able  and  devout  advocate.  The  step  taken 
to  accomplish  this  purpose  was  well  worthy  the 
Satanic  genius  of  Lucifer  himself,  and,  had  the  foul 
plot  succeeded,  a  good  man's  name  would  have 
been  covered  with  obloquy,  and  his  influence  for 
good  forever  destroyed  in  this  community.     Bro. 

C had    hardly   reached    home   from    his    first 

visit  to  us  ere  the  evil  tongues  of  persecution 
commenced  the  work  of  detraction.  He  was  pro- 
nounced crazy,  and  stigmatized  an  infidel  ;  accused 
of  preaching  the  Advent  faith  for  money  ;  branded 
as  a  renegade  in  politics,  and  thrashed  by  the  Red 
Men  of  the  Moon.  He  was  held  up  before  the 
community  as  an  expelled  member  of  the  Baptist 
and  Presbyterian  churches  for  lack  of  Christian 
conduct,  and  so  obnoxious  at  home  as  to  be  unable 
to  get  audiences  to  hear  him  preach. 

"These  and  kindred  misrepresentations  ema- 
nated from  a  Methodist  minister  of  Alabama,  and 
were  promulgated  by  Methodist  ministers  here  at 
home,  whose  aim  was  the  downfall  of  Cargile,  and 
the  perpetuation  of  the  immortality  dogma  upon 
the  minds  of  our  people. 

"As  soon  as  Bro.  C learned  of  these  re- 
ports he  hastened  here,  and,  like  a  Christian  gen- 
tleman, went  to  work  to  prove  them  false.     This 


EXPERIENCES   IN    1873   AND    1874.  243 

he  did  by  certificates  from  Baptists,  Presbyte- 
rians, and  Methodists  living  in  and  around  Steven- 
son, and  from  the  Probate  Judge  and  Sheriff  of 
the  county,  and  nearly  every  business  man  in  the 
tov^^n  of  Stevenson.  He  also  wrote  his  accuser 
to  meet  him  here  and  substantiate  his  charges,  or, 
like  a  Christian,  acknowledge  his  error  ;  but  he 
failed  to  put  in  an  appearance. 

"  How  strange  that  men,  professing  to  be  fol- 
lowers of  Jesus  and  ministers  of  his  word,  should 
so  far  forget  themselves  as  to  become  instrumen- 
tal in  circulating  statements  wanting  even  the 
shadow  of  accuracy  !  Cain  slew  Abel  because  sin 
had  entered  into  him,  and  men  backbite  each 
other  to-day   because   of  iniquity   in   their  hearts. 

Bro.  C immersed  four  the  day  before  leaving 

for  home  ;  three  of  them  were  Methodists.  Others 
will  be  baptized  when  he  comes  again!  May  God 
bless  and  prosper  his  work  in  the  ministry,  and 
shield  him  from  the  tongue  of  the  evil-disposed!" 

The  month  of  November  and  a  part  of  Decem- 
ber were  spent  in  and  around  De  View,  Ark.,  where 
I  began  at  Beard's  Church,  and  thence  went  to 
Cyprus  Church,  in  a  swamp  which  is  called  the 
"dark  corner."  Some  call  it  "Pull-tight."  I  put 
up  my  chart  and  began  preaching  on  the  prophecies. 
In  the  midst  of  the  sermon  a  lady  rose  in  the 
audience, —  I  think  she  was  the  tallest  woman  I 


244     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.    CARGH.E. 

ever  saw,  —  and  raising  her  hand  as  high  as  she 
could,  she  said,  at  the  top  of  her  voice  and  with 
considerable  show  of  earnestness,  "  That  man  is  a 
false  prophet,  as  sure  as  this  world  !  Our  Lord 
said  they'd  come,  and  he  is  one  of  them  !  Kick 
him  out  of  this  house,  and  drum  him  out  of  this 
country !  "  I  paused  till  she  got  through  and 
resumed  her  seat.  I  thought  "  Pull-tight,"  sure 
enough.  I  finished  the  sermon  without  further 
trouble.  I  preached  in  Toller.son's  schoolhouse, 
and  in  the  dwellings  of  two  widows,  —  Sisters 
Co.x  and  Hough  ;  and  in  a  splendid  hall  built 
for  the  Masonic  Fraternity,  but  owned  by  Sr. 
Edmonds,  who  kindly  allowed  me  to  preach  in  it. 
She  was  afflicted  with  rheumatism,  but  came  out 
in  her  buggy  and  took  much  interest  in  the  meet- 
ings. The  people  received  me  very  kindly,  and 
urged  me  to  come  again.  I  found  the  standard  of 
piety  quite  low.  It  seems  that  the  preachers  care 
more  for  the  fleece  than  they  do  for  the  flock. 
Cotton  seems  to  be  not  only  king,  but  almost  the 
god  of  Arkansas. 

From  De  View  I  started  for  Fort  Smith  in 
company  with  Bro.  Gifford.  After  four  days  of 
hard  traveling  and  loss  of  sleep,  we  reached  the 
place  almost  exhausted.  The  Memphis  and  Little 
Rock  Railroad  was  then  in  a  bad  fix.  We  traveled 
nearly  forty  miles  over  trestle-work  which  looked 
so  rotten   as  to  be  liable  to  tumble  down  at  any 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1873    AND    1874.  245 

time.  We  were  going  in  the  Lord's  cause,  and  I 
told  Bro.  Gifford,  while  looking  through  the  win- 
dow at  the  rickety  works,  shaking  behind  the 
train  like  the  slender  tail  of  a  fox-hound  when  on 
a  chase,  that  if  we  were  on  a  trip  for  speculation, 
I  should  feel  fearful,  but  as  that  was  not  the  object 
of  our  journey  I  felt  perfectly  safe,  believing  that 
if  it  was  duty  to  preach  to  the  people  on  the  line 
of  the  Indian  Nation,  the  Lord  would  see  us 
through.  In  Little  Rock  we  found  no  train,  and 
had  to  stop  over.  Next  morning  we  started  in  a 
mixed  train  over  the  Little  Rock  and  Fort  Smith 
Road  for  Clarksville,  the  end  of  the  road  at  that 
time.  It  was  one  hundred  miles  distant,  and 
it  took  all  day  to  make  the  trip.  We  found  the 
stage  waiting,  which  is  the  first  close  connection 
since  we  left  Memphis.  The  stage  was  open  at 
both  ends,  and  looked  more  like  a  city  milk-wagon 
than  a  stage-coach.  We  felt  lank  about  the 
stomach,  and  ate  some  cheese  and  crackers.  I 
never  could  like  cheese  before,  but  that  night  it 
seemed  that  I  was  hungry  enough  to  eat  a  piece 
of  a  dead  mule.  The  distance  from  Clarksville  to 
Fort  Smith  by  the  stage  route  was  sixty-five  miles. 
We  traveled  all  night,  only  seeing  fire  once,  at  one 
o'clock,  while  the  horses  were  being  changed ; 
then  I  was  .so  benumbed  with  cold  that  I  had  to  be 
helped  to  the  fire,  the  heat  of  which  made  me  very 
sick.     That  cheese  —  well,  I   read  in  my  speech- 


246     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

book  in  school-boy  days,  about  a  man  who  threw 
up  three  black  crows.  That  was  comparatively 
nothing.  I  felt  as  though  I  could  dislodge  a 
dozen  crows  with  less  heaving  and  retching  than 
it  took  to  elevate  that  bait  of  Limberger,  which 
now  seemed  rank  enough  to  bait  a  fish-basket  for 
a  pond  a  mile  square.  The  road  was  the  worst  I 
ever  traveled  over;  and  we  found  that  the  best  way 
to  keep  our  seats  was  to  lie  on  our  backs,  with 
hands  fast  hold  of  the  straps,  fastened  in  the  stage 
for  that  purpose,  and  both  feet  set  against  the  top. 

I  could  but  think  of  the  carpeted  parlors  and 
cushioned  sofas  of  ministers  who  get  fat  salaries, 
live  at  ease  in  Zion,  and  close  their  fashionable 
churches  against  God's  servants  sometimes.  Then 
I  looked  at  Paul's  shipwrecks,  perils,  and  priva- 
tions, and  took  consolation  by  thinking  that  the 
heavier  the  cross  the  brighter  the  crown. 

About  half-past  one  o'clock  the  next  day  we 
arrived  in  the  flourishing  village  of  Fort  Smith, 
with  aching  heads,  bruised  bodies,  and  sick 
stomachs,  but,  thank  the  Lord,  no  broken  bones. 
We  found  Bro.  John  Maxwell  waiting  for  us,  and 
glad  to  see  us.  He  took  us  in  a  coal-wagon  ten 
miles  to  his  pleasant  home. 

When  we  arrived  and  were  seated,  he  came  with 
a  large  basin  of  water  and  a  towel  thrown  across 
his  arm,  and  said,  "  Pull  off  your  boots,  Bro. 
Cargile,  and  I  will  wash  your  feet,  and  you  can  lie 


EXPERIENCES  IN    1873   AND    1874.  247 

down  and  take  a  good  rest."  I  said,  "  No,  you 
need  not  do  that."  He  insisted  that  I  could  rest 
much  better.  I  said,  "  Well,  if  my  feet  must  be 
washed,  /  can  wash  them  myself."  He  replied, 
"  No,  the  Lord  says  I  ought  to  wash  them,  and  if 
I  don't  do  it  I  shall  think  hard."  I  could  resist 
no  longer. 

When  he  had  lovingly  washed  and  nicely  dried 
my  feet,  he  started  to  leave  the  room  with  the 
wash-bowl,  when  I  said,  "  Hold  on,  my  brother ; 
get  your  shoes  off,  while  I  put  my  boots  on,  and  I 
will  wash  j^?/;' feet."  He  said,  "Oh,  no  !  I  am  at 
home."  I  replied,  "  If  I  am  not,  I  will  go  home, 
and  that  quickly  too  !  If  I  don't  wash  your  iQ.^\. 
there  will  be  another  one  think  hard." 

He  submitted  without  further  remonstrance, 
and  we  enjoyed  this  our  first  meeting  each  other. 

Sunday  morning  the  meetings  began,  and  in- 
creased in  interest  all  the  week.  I  have  a  terrible 
cold  settled  on  my  lungs.  I  shall  never  forget 
that  stage-ride.  We  paid  ten  dollars  each  for  the 
privilege  of  being  bumped  and  jolted  all  night, 
which  I  would  not  do  again  for  twice  the  money. 
On  my  way  home  I  had  quite  a  hemorrhage  from 
my  lungs,  but  said  nothing  about  it.  I  knew  that 
if  my  people  knew  it  they  would  oppose  my 
preaching  any  more  ;  and  I  had  made  up  my  mind 
to  wear  out  in  the  cause,  ,and  to  fall,  if  fall  I 
must,  in  the  field  with  the  armor  on,  face  toward 
the  front. 


248     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

Bro.  Maxwell  brought  us  to  Clarksville  in  his 
wagon.  On  tlie  way  we  camped  in  a  little  town 
called  Caulksville,  in  Logan  Co.  (which  was  then 
Sarber  Co.).  About  eight  o'clock  a  Dr.  Knott 
came  to  our  camp  and  took  me  to  his  pleasant 
home,  where  I  enjoyed  a  sweet  rest.  He  went  to 
a  lodge  which  was  in  session,  and  invited  them  all 
out  to  hear  me  preach  next  morning,  which  was 
Sunday.  Only  a  few  came  out  in  the  morning,  but 
in  the  evening  the  house  was  full.  At  the  close  of 
the  meeting,  on  going  away  from  the  hall,  I  over- 
heard one  say  to  another,  "  What  do  you  think  of 
that.'"  The  answer  was,  "Well,  sir,  I  never 
heard  the  like  in  all  my  life.  He  just  proved 
everything  by  the  Bible." 

On  my  way  home  I  stopped  in  Brinkley,  Monroe 
Co.  Ark.  I  called  on  a  Methodist  minister  to 
get  permission  to  speak  in  his  church ;  but  he 
bluntly  refused  because  I  did  not  advocate  the 
immortality  of  the  soul.  I  told  him  I  would  give 
him  one  hundred  dollars  if  he  would  prove  by  the 
Bible  that  the  soul  is  immortal.  He  felt  sure  he 
could  do  so  by  the  Rich  Man  and  Lazarus,  Thief 
on  the  Cross,  etc.  But  he  found  that  he  could 
not,  and  bade  me  a  sudden  good-bye.  I  then  called 
on  Squire  Lynch,  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  who  heartily  consented  to  let  me  preach 
in  his  church.  After  I  had  posted  up  and  circu- 
lated  printed   notices,  one   Dr.  E objected  to 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1873   AND    1874.  249 

my  using  the  house.  He  is  not  a  member  of  any 
church,  but  is  one  of  the  building  committee.  I 
asked  permission  to  ring  the  bell,  and  he  con- 
sented. "  Well,"  said  I,  "  that  will  bring  the  peo- 
ple out,  and  I  can  speak  to  them  in  the  street." 
But  when  I  told  Bro.  Lynch  that  I  felt  deeply 
impressed  to  give  his  villagers  a  talk  on  the 
coming  kingdom  and  signs  of  the  Lord's  coming, 
he  said  that  he  would  take  the  liberty  to  open  the 
door,  which  he  did  ;  had  a  good  fire  in  the  stove, 
and  the  bell  rung  in  due  time.  I  spoke  to  a  very 
curiously  attentive  crowd  till  the  train  was  due, 
then  dismissed  the  meeting,  and  started  hastily 
for  the  train.  I  was  informed  that  should  I  ever 
pass  that  way  again  the  house  would  be  free 
for  me. 

When  I  was  in  Woodruff  Co.,  walking  away 
from  meeting  in  Masonic  Hall  one  night,  I  over- 
heard the  following  dialogue  between  two  men 
who  did  not  know  that  I  was  walking  just  before 
their  horses.     I  knew  neither  of  them  :  — 

First  speaker  :  "  Well,  sir,  I  tised  to  think  I 
knew  a  little  about  the  Bible." 

Second  speaker  :  "  Well,  what  do  you  think 
about  it  now  .^  " 

First  speaker :  "  Why,  since  listening  to  this 
fellow,  it  don't  seem  as  if  I  know  anything  at 
all !  " 

Second    speaker  :    "  I'll   tell   you    now,    if   they 


250      AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN    A.    CARGILE, 

will  all  do  just  as  he  tells  them,  they  will  not  miss 
heaven  far,  certain." 

First  speaker  :  "  It  gets  me  to  know  what  to 
call  him.  I  have  heard  all  denominations,  and  he 
don't  preach  like  any  of  them.  I  don't  know  what 
to  call  him  ;  but  I  reckon  I  will  serve  him  as 
Barnum  did  the  unknown  animal  in  his  museum, 
I  will  call  him  a  '  Wot-is-it,'  and  let  him  go." 

I  reached  my  home  so  worn  out  that  I  had  a 
high  fever  for  several  days,  and  was  unable  to  do 
much  more  in  the  closing  month  of  the  year. 

Retrospecting  the  work  of  1874,  I  see  about 
four  thousand  miles  traveled,  on  foot,  horseback, 
in  buggies,  stages,  wagons,  boats,  and  cars,  at  a 
cost,  including  family  supplies,  of  1^477.85.  I 
preached  two  hundred  and  ninety-eight  sermons, 
saw  one  hundred  and  twelve  converted,  and  bap- 
tized over  fifty,  and  organized  two  churches.  My 
total  receipts  were  less  than  three  hundred  dollars. 
Our  privations  and  denials  have  been  sanctified  to 
our  good  and  the  spread  of  truth,  and  we  are 
willing  to  work  hard,  live  hard,  and,  if  need  be, 
die  hard,  if  by  that  means  we  can  further  the 
glorious  cause  of  our  blessed  Redeemer. 


CHAPTER  X. 

EXPERIENCES  IN  1875  AND  1876. 

In  January,  1875,  I  met  a  small  congregation  in 
Roarks'  Cove,  Tenn.  The  weather  being  very 
inclement,  people  could  not  get  out  during  the 
week,  but  on  Sunday  the  house  was  pretty  well 
filled,  notwithstanding  the  snow  and  piercing  cold 
winds.  I  spoke  at  some  length  on  the  world's 
conversion  and  the  signs  of  the  times. 

At  the  close  of  the  sermon  I  told  the  people 
that  it  would  be  unreasonable  to  ask  them  to 
listen  to  another  discourse  before  returning  to  their 
homes  ;  but  they  unanimously  called  for  a  second 
service,  and  in  thirty  minutes  we  began  again.  I 
spoke  one  hour  on  the  coming  kingdom.  Although 
shivering  with  cold  in  the  open  house,  and  around 
a  poor  stove,  the  people  gave  the  best  attention, 
and  showed  their  appreciation  of  the  truth  by 
contributing  enough  to  pay  the  expense  of  my 
trip. 

Here  I  met  one  of  the  heaviest  trials  I  have  had 
to  bear.  A  good  sister  of  the  M.  E.  Church, 
thought  to  be  in  the  last  stages  of  consumption, 
requested   me   to   sprinkle  her  and  call   it  baptisni. 


252      AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

The  friends  seemed  to  think  that,  as  she  was  too 
weak  to  be  immersed,  I  ought  to  yield  to  her 
request.  But  I  could  think  of  nothing  but  "  What- 
soever is  not  of  faith  is  sin  ;  "  and  believing  that 
baptism  could  only  be  performed  by  immersion, 
and  that  it  would  be  an  abomination  to  say,  "  I 
baptize  thee,"  and  then  only  rantisc  her,  we  prayed 
together,  and  I  told  her  I  could  not  sprinkle  her 
and  call  it  baptism. 

Sunday  night  I  spoke  to  a  large  crowd  at  the 
University  of  the  South.  Monday  I  came  down 
the  mountain  on  a  carload  of  coal,  and  met  sev- 
eral of  the  kind  friends  with  whom  I  formed 
a  pleasant  acquaintance  last  July.  I  spoke  to  a 
crowded  house  last  night,  two  ministers  being- 
present.  The  friends  here  proved  their  apprecia- 
tion of  God's  plain  truth  by  showing  that  they 
thought  a  minister's  traveling  expenses  should  be 
paid. 

The  first  Saturday  and  Sunday  in  the  month  I 
was  with  Bethel  Church,  near  Ooltewah,  East 
Tenn.  The  church  again  asked  me  to  preach  for 
them  this  year. 

The  second  Saturday  and  Sunday  I  was  with 
Shiloh  Church  in  DeKalb  Co.,  Ala.,  where  Satan 
is  doing  all  he  possibly  can  to  sow  the  seeds  of 
trouble  in  the  body  ;  but  I  trust  they  will  be 
choked  out  before  they  take  root  deep  enough  to 
be  a  serious  reproach. 


EXPERIENCES    IX    1875   AND    1876.  253 

The  third  Saturday  and  Sunday  found  me  at  Oak 
Grove,  Ala.  I  found  the  little  flock  in  the  midst 
of  persecution,  but  struggling  hard  for  the  cause 
of  Jesus.  The  ministers  use  long-range  guns 
when  we  are  miles  away,  and  in  several  instances 
have  grossly  misrepresented  our  position  and  peo- 
ple. But,  instead  of  refuting  their  statements 
behind  their  backs,  I  made  a  proposition  to  meet 
them,  to  see  who  had  the  truth.  Not  one  would 
accept.  One  said  he  was  no  man  for  controversy  ; 
another  that  Boston  was  the  birthplace  of  my 
cherished  dogma.  I  consider  that  a  poor  argu- 
ment against  the  truth.  The  Lord  has  raised  up 
help  for  us  here  in  the  ministry  to  partly  bear  the 
burden  of  lookmg  after  the  churches,  so  I  am  at 
liberty  to  seek  new  fields  more  extensively.  I 
have  felt  for  some  time  that  my  duty  was  that  of 
an  evangelist  ;  and  I  feel  that  the  Lord  is  opening 
the  way  for  me  to  labor  in  my  proper  place. 

On  the  20th  of  April  I  wrote  :  "  The  Lord  has 
been  gracious  to  me  another  month.  The  prospect 
in  this  field  is  very  encouraging  indeed.  The 
churches  seem  to  be  coming  up  to  the  Bible  stand- 
ard of  piety." 

At  Bethel  we  had  a  pleasant  season.  On  Fri- 
day, April  9,  I  was  called  by  telegram  to  the  city 
of  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  to  attend  the  funeral  of 
Sr.  Henegar,  the  wife  of  a  steamboat  captain, 
who   was    led    to  embrace    Jesus  si.x  months  ago 


254     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

through  my  humble  efforts.  The  circumstances 
were  as  follows  :  I  was  on  my  way  to  fill  an  ap- 
pointment, passing  through  Chattanooga,  and 
while  waiting  a  few  hours  for  my  train  I  walked 
about  the  city.  Passing  down  Alabama  street  by 
a  block  of  houses,  I  felt  impressed  to  enter  one  of 
them.  As  I  rapped  at  the  door  a  faint  voice  said, 
"Come  in."  This  I  did,  and  found,  sitting  by  the 
fireside,  a  woman  wasted  to  a  skeleton,  and  in  the 
last  stages  of  consumption. 

I  talked  to  and  prayed  with  her,  leaving  her 
under  deep  conviction.  Calling  again  on  my  re- 
turn the  next  Monday,  I  found  her  weaker  in  body, 
and  anxious  about  her  eternal  welfare.  While  I 
prayed  with  her  she  found  salvation  in  believing  in 
Christ.  Bro.  A.  M.  B.  Graham  was  also  with  me, 
and  took  part  in  the  funeral  services. 

Saturday  morning  I  went  to  Shiloh  Church, 
where  I  met  the  little  band  of  pilgrims,  all  buoyant 
with  hope.  Satan  had  been  doing  his  best  to  sow 
seeds  of  trouble  here,  and  divide  the  flock  ;  but, 
praise  the  Lord  !  some  of  the  sisters,  through 
faithful  effort  and  earnest  prayer,  overcame  him, 
and  now  all  is  harmonious. 

Sunday  we  had  a  blessed  season  around  the 
Lord's  table.  Bro.  D.  B.  Waldrop  was  with  me, 
and  preached  the  gospel  with  much  earnestness. 
Thursday  night  I  spoke  in  my  own  town.  Friday, 
A.M.,    went    to    Goose    Pond  ;    found   the    church 


expp:riences  in  1875  and  1876.  255 

doing  as  well  as  could  be  expected  for  a  young 
vine.  Here  I  spoke  Friday  night  and  twice  on 
Saturday. 

Met  Sunday  morning,  at  nine  o'clock,  assisted 
in  organizing  a  Sunday  school,  and  gave  a  lecture 
on  the  subject  ;  after  ten  minutes'  intermission  I 
preached  an  hour  and  fifteen  minutes;  then  ten 
minutes'  rest  and  we  gathered  around  the  Lord's 
table  to  commemorate  the  death  of  Jesus.  Twenty- 
five  minutes  more  for  rest,  and  I  preached  again, 
one  hour,  and  then  it  seemed  (judging  from  their 
patient  attention)  that  the  people  were  not  half  so 
wearied  as  I  felt.  Then  I  rode  on  a  mule  five 
miles  to  Scottsboro  and  preached  that  night.  At 
Goose  Pond  Bro.  John  A.  Bryan  was  excluded 
from  the  Presbyterian  Church  because  he  would 
not  refrain  from  preaching  the  precious  truths  of 
the  Bible  as  we  believe  them. 

The  following  letter  was  published  in  the  Crisis 
of  May  26,  1875  :  — 

"  I  feel  grateful  this  morning  that  it  is  well  with 
me,  even  here,  away  from  home  and  among  stran- 
<rers.  I  want  to  tell  the  dear  ones  scattered  abroad 
how  the  Lord  has  led  me  during  the  last  ten  days. 
"  On  Saturday,  a  week  ago,  I  visited  Oak  Grove 
Church,  four  miles  from  Stevenson.  Found  the 
dear  brethren  and  sisters  struggling  to  hold  up 
the  true  light  for  the  people.  Spoke  at  eleven 
o'clock  A.M.,  and  at  five  p.m.  baptized   a  brother 


256     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.   CARGILE. 

in  the  name  of  Jesus.  At  nine  o'clock  p.m.  went, 
with  lamps  and  oak  board  torches,  back  to  the 
stream,  and  buried  a  sister  in  the  likeness  of 
Christ's  death.  Started  at  eleven  that  night,  and 
walked  into  Stevenson.  Got  on  the  train  at  two, 
and  Sunday  morning,  six  o'clock,  found  us  in 
Ooltewah,  East  Tenn.  Met  Bethel  Church  in 
communion. 

"  At  Bethel  we  had  a  pleasant  meeting,  and 
found  Uncle  Silas  Smith  still  living,  who  has  been 
expected  to  die  at  any  time  for  the  last  twelve 
weeks.  He  is  still  in  the  crucible,  and  rejoicing 
in  the  hope  of  eternal  life. 

"  Reached  home  last  Thursday,  at  eight  o'clock 
A.M.,  and  at  ten  bade  adieu  to  loved  ones  and 
started  on  horseback,  with  Bro.  J.  S.  Bankson, 
M.D.,  of  Stevenson.  Came  to  Tennessee  River, 
and  found  it  very  rough  on  account  of  a  high  wind. 
We  waited  two  hours  and  then  started  on.  The 
ferryman  informed  us  that  he  would  not  be  re- 
sponsible for  our  lives  or  horses  on  the  rough 
waves,  and  in  an  old  rickety  boat.  But  we  started, 
trusting  in  God  to  see  us  over.  Water  came  over 
the  gunwale  occasionally,  and  it  was  with  much 
difficulty  our  horses  stood  up  in  the  rocking  boat. 
The  surging  waves  made  me  think  of  stories  I 
have  read  of  sea  life.  By  the  help  of  God  we 
landed,  and  started  at  two  o'clock  p.m.  from  the 
river,  and   rode  across  Sand   Mountain,  which  is 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1875   AND    1S76.  257 

about  eighteen  or  twenty  miles  wide,  and  reached 
the  edge  of  Wills'  Valley  just  at  dark.  Stopped 
with  a  Baptist  man,  Bro.  Crow,  who  treated  us 
kindly  and  charged  us  nothing. 

"  Friday  morning  started  early  across  the  valley, 
and  ascended  Lookout  Mountain  about  ten  o'clock, 
and  rode  across  it  some  nine  or  ten  miles.  On 
this  mountain  I  found  a  large  stream,  some  thirty 
yards  wide.  It  seemed  strange  to  see  a  river 
rolling  along  on  top  of  a  high  mountain.  At  three 
P.M.  we  arrived  at  Spring  Creek,  where  there  is 
so  much  confusion  on  account  of  some  brethren 
having  read  Bro.  Sheldon's  '  Life  Beyond  Death.' 

"The  Baptist  church  here  has  divided,  and  about 
twenty  out  of  thirty  one  or  two  members  have 
taken  a  firm  stand  for  truth.  A  Baptist  preacher, 
Henry  Blalock,  has  made  several  sweeping  efforts 
to  upset  the  truth  by  stirring  up  the  minds  of  the 
people  and  filling  their  hearts  with  prejudice  ;  Bro. 
Blalock  said  he  would  debate  with  any  Adventist. 
Bro.  Bankson  wrote  for  me.  I  came  to  meet  him 
in  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  found  on  my  arrival  that 
about  six  or  seven  hours  before  the  champion, 
having  heard  I  was  coming  with  God's  word,  hur- 
riedly packed  his  valuables,  bade  adieu  to  all  his 
friends,  and  started,  saying  that  he  was  bound  for 
Illinois.     This  the  people  told  me. 

"I  am  sorry  to  find  in  this  community  so  much 
confusion  on  account  of  the  truth  being  preached 


258     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

by  Brn.  Bankson  and  Livingston.  Bro.  Livingston 
is  a  fearless,  humble,  bold  defender  of  truth,  who 
has  been  excluded  from  his  church  for  heresy. 

"  We  began  meetings  Friday  night,  in  a  private 
house.  On  Saturday  visited  the  church  where  the 
trouble  started.  Heard  the  following  resolution 
adopted  in  Conference:  'We  will  not  let  certain 
parties,  who  teach  materialism  and  annihilation, 
have  the  use  of  our  house.'  Saturday  night  we 
had  a  good  audience,  and  announced  that  we  would 
speak  on  Sunday,  at  three  p.m.,  at  a  place  prepared 
by  the  brethren. 

"On  Sunday,  a.m.,  we  visited  the  church  in 
order  to  show  brotherly  love,  and,  if  possible,  throw 
cold  water  on  the  devil's  fire,  which  is  eating  up 
the  Christianity  of  this  neighborhood.  At  the 
close  of  Bro.  Moon's  discourse  a  kind-hearted  sin- 
ner arose  and  asked  the  church  to  let  Mr.  Cargile 
have  the  use  of  their  house  in  the  evening,  saying 
that  it  was  the  request  of  outsiders  entirely.  Said 
he,  'Come,  now,  show  a  Christian  spirit.'  But 
hearing  what  I  did  the  day  before,  I  told  them 
that  I  was  not  aware  that  they  were  going  to  make 
that  request,  and  said  that  I  felt  grateful  for  their 
respect,  but  had  been  excluded  by  them,  and  did 
not  wish  the  house. 

"  In  the  afternoon  we  met  a  large  congregation 
on  the  spot  prepared  for  God's  worship  ;  and  we 
had  a  good  time,  and  saw  the  spirit  of  love  beam- 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1S75   AND    1S76.  259 

ing  in  several  faces.  Sunday  night  tried  to  preach 
again.  Bro.  Livingston  invited  us  to  go  ten  miles, 
to  Cedar  Spring,  and  preach  again  last  night.  We 
went,  and  found  a  good  number,  who  gave  the  best 
attention,  and  some  of  them  showed  their  appre- 
ciation of  truth  by  contributing  to  aid  me  on  my 
journey. 

"This  morning,  May  4,  we  came  back  with  Brn. 
Bankson  and  Livingston,  and  will  hold  meetings 
here  till  Wednesday,  and  then  start  for  Dade  Co., 
Ga.  The  truth  here  has  spread  like  wildfire,  just 
from  that  one  copy  of '  Life  Beyond  Death.'  There 
are  five  ministers  already  breasting  the  storm,  and 
they  will  not  flinch  for  love  or  money. 

"Oh,  how  sad  I  feel  to  see  those  claiming  to 
love  Jesus  refuse  to  speak  to  each  other !  I  pray 
that  all  parties  may  submit  to  Christ,  get  up  to 
his  cross,  and  let  go  their  old  and  long-cherished 
chiirchanity,  and  lay  hold  of  a  pure  and  soul-cheer- 
ing Christianity.  If  we  do  not  possess  a  forgiving 
spirit,  how  can  we  expect  to  be  forgiven .''  It  is 
vain  for  us  to  pray  with  our  hearts  filled  with 
hatred,  malice,  or  prejudice. 

"  Dear  brethren  and  sisters,  here  are  several 
good  people  on  both  sides  of  the  question,  who 
honestly  think  they  are  doing  God's  service  by 
contention.  The  two  parties  are  in  law  about  the 
possession  of  the  church  house,  and  I  do  feel  so 
sad  over  it.     Oh,  that  mine  eyes  were  a  fountain 


26o     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

of  tears,  that  I  might  reheve  my  burdened  soul  of 
its  troubles  by  bitter  weeping  and  prayer ! 

"  Let  us  pray  that  this  may  soon  pass  away,  and 
love  and  Jesus  prevail. 

"  Pray  for  me  and  mine.  I  am  now  in  the  field, 
and  expect  to  die  there  unless  the  Master  comes 
soon.  Pray  that  I  may  be  strengthened.  Yours 
in  Jesus." 

Then,  on  the  31st  of  May,  I  wrote  the  follow, 
ing,  which  was  published  June  16,  1875  •  — 

NOTES  BY  THE  WAY  IN  ALABAMA 
AND  TENNESSEE. 

My  last  left  me.  May  4,  at  Spring  Creek,  Cher- 
okee Co.,  Ala.  Meetings  were  continued  with 
interest  till  Wednesday  noon.  As  I  told  you  the 
awful  condition  of  the  church  there,  being  divided 
on  account  of  the  truth,  I  can  now  report  the  good 
news  of  better  prospects  for  the  future.  Twenty 
members  embraced  our  views  as  truth,  while  eleven 
opposed.  Both  parties  had  formed  a  conference, 
calling  themselves  the  church,  and  had  excluded 
the  other  ;  and  so,  of  course,  they  were  all  out, 
and  there  was  no  church.  Now  came  the  contest 
as  to  which  party  should  have  the  house.  The 
minority  put  a  lock  and  chain  on  the  door  of  the 
church,  and  so  kept  the  majority  {heretics)  out  ; 
while,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  our  friends  sued  at  the 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1875    AND    1876.  26 1 

law  for  their  "rights,"  which,  as  I  told  them,  was 
not  in  keeping  with  the  spirit  of  Jesus.  Notwith- 
standing they  had  gained  the  case  in  one  court, 
by  the  help  of  Jesus,  they  were  induced  to  with- 
draw the  suit  and  build  a  house  for  God's  children. 
As  soon  as  they  consented  to  stop  the  suit,  the 
Lord  poured  out  his  Spirit  upon  us,  and  we  had  a 
blessed  time  in  parting.  The  friends  showed  their 
appreciation  of  our  visit  by  a  godly  example.  We 
had  been  invited  to  speak  on  Wednesday  night  at 
Pleasant  Hill,  but  found  it  closed  against  "  the 
infidel,"  as  some  called  me.  The  Lord  had  an  old 
Bro.  Baker  open  his  chapel  for  us,  where  we  had 
one  of  the  hardest  struggles  we  have  had  for  years 
in  trying  to  speak.  We  felt  the  great  need  of  the 
prayers  of  God's  dear  children. 

Thursday,  started  to  cross  Lookout  Mountain 
into  Wills'  Valley,  to  meet  an  appointment  at 
Head  Spring's  Church;  but  found  they  would  not 
allow  me  to  preach  in  it.  A  friend,  Mr.  William 
Lee,  opened  his  dwelling,  where  we  had  a  free 
time  on  the  coming  kingdom,  and  spoke  to  a 
crowded  house.  Friday,  eleven  o'clock  a.m.,  at 
the  celebrated  Sulphur  Springs,  DeKalb  Co.,  Ala.  ; 
the  Baptist  brethren  very  kindly  opened  their 
house  to  me,  an  unworthy  pilgrim.  After  I  had 
finished  my  first  effort  in  that  place,  I  heard  one 
man  say  he  was  disappointed,  for  he  had  "come 
expecting  to  see  a  bear  turned  loose,"  but  had 
"heard  nothing  but  the  truth." 


262     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

I  rode  over  one  hundred  miles  on  this  trip  and 
reached  home  so  nearly  worn  out  that  I  was  con- 
fined to  my  room  three  days.  Thursday,  the 
13th,  rose  early  and  took  the  train  for  Cowan, 
Tenn.,  where  I  met  a  large,  attentive  audience. 
A  young  minister  told  the  people  there  was  no 
use  to  preach  the  resurrection,  as  the  only  hope  : 
the  only  thing  necessary  was  to  be  ready  for  the 
reward.  I  then  showed  that  the  unconscious  state 
of  the  dead  is  a  dispensational  truth,  and  the  only 
thing  with  which  to  meet  the  Spiritualists  with 
success. 

Friday,  the  14th,  I  took  a  train  on  the  Sewanee 
Coal  Road  for  the  University  of  the  South.  Then 
down  the  mountain  by  moonlight,  four  miles,  into 
Roarks'  Cove,  where  we  lectured  on  Saturday  from 
Bro.  J.  J.  Smith's  chart.  Sunday  a.  m.  tried  to 
preach  the  funeral  sermon  of  Sr.  Phillips.  In  the 
afternoon  spoke  from  the  chart  again,  and  buried 
a  dear  sister  in  baptism.  Monday,  spoke  to  a  full 
house,  then  bade  adieu  to  the  many  kind  friends 
who  had  helped  me  after  a  godly  sort,  and  came 
up  the  mountain  to  the  University,  and  spoke  at 
the  house  of  a  Sr.  Dorsey.  House  and  yard  full. 
All  gave  the  best  attention. 

Tuesday,  back   to   Cowan.      Spoke    again    to    a 

crowded  house.    Good  attention.    Bro.  S again 

intimated  that  there  was  no  use  in  preaching 
these  things.     Here  a  few  friends  gave  me  scrip 


EXPERIENCES   IN    1S75    AND    1876.  263 

for  my  journey.  Reached  home,  thirty  miles, 
Wednesday  at  two  o'clock,  almost  worn  out.  Thurs- 
day, was  not  able  to  sit  up  or  eat  anything  until 
evening.  Oh,  how  I  sigh  for  home,  where  we  will 
never  get  weary  !  On  arriving  at  home,  we  learned 
that  Bro.  C.  K.  Winslow  had  used  a  long-ranged 
gun  at  us  in  our  absence,  on  immortal-soulism,  in 
which  he  grossly  misrepresented  our  position  and 
doctrine.  Some  time  ago  I  asked  him  to  discuss 
the  question,  but  he  was  "  no  man  for  contro- 
versy ;"  but  after  we  get  fifty  or  sixty  miles  away, 
he  is  a  noble  "war-horse."  I  think  the  people 
have  sense  enough  to  see  the  unfair  and  unchris- 
tian manner  in  which  he  spoke  of  us  as  a  people, 
saying  we  are  selfish,  etc.  I  have  offered  a  reward 
of  one  hundred  dollars  for  the  Scriptures  used  by 
him  positively  proving  his  position.  I  learn  that 
many  took  notes,  but  as  yet  I  have  had  no  call  for 
the  -money. 

Saturday,  May  22,  with  the  church  at  Oak 
Grove.  Baptized  one,  and  left  Bro.  J.  J.  Smith  to 
conduct  the  meeting  on  Sunday,  while  we  went 
to  Bethesda  church.  Had  a  large  crowd.  Bro. 
Crawford  and  myself  spoke  to  them.  Bro.  Wal- 
drop  and  myself  ordained  Bro.  Crawford  to  the 
work  of  preaching  the  coming  of  Jesus.  We  then 
gathered  around  the  table,  and  enjoyed  a  good 
time.  Then  down  in  the  valley  to  Pea  Town, 
heard  a  M.  E.   Bro.   Price  preach  at  four  o'clock 


264      AUTOBIOGKAl'JIV    OK   JOHN    A.    CARGILK.     * 

P.M.  He  manifested  much  Christian  courtesy 
toward  us.  At  6.30  p.m.  we  preached  in  the  house 
of  the  ferryman  on  the  riverside. 

Monday  night,  preached  in  McMahan's  Cove, 
ten  miles  away  and  across  the  ri^'er.  I  walked 
it  through  the  swamp.  Wednesday  night,  at 
Catchings,  Tenn.,  twenty  miles  farther,  and  over 
a  rough  mountain.  Thursday  night,  near  my  own 
home,  at  the  house  of  a  kind  neighbor.  Yester- 
day (Sunday)  morning,  spoke  to  a  large,  attentive 
audience  in  a  lovely  grove  on  the  land  of  T.  Boyd 
Foster,  Esq.,  who  kindly  gave  me  permission  to 

preach  our  faith  on  his  land  near  N 's  Chapel. 

Mr.  N had  refused  us  the  chapel,  saying  that 

no  Adventist  should  preach  in  it.  I  put  a  large 
printed  poster  on  the  tree,  saying,  "  On  the  fifth 
Sunday  in  May  I  will  preach  under  this  tree  at 
eleven  a.m.  from  the  word  of  the  devil."  Men 
came  several  miles  to  that  meeting  who  had  not 
been  to  church  for  years.  A  great  many  came 
out,  and  we  spoke  from  the  devil's  lie,  Gen.  3  :  4. 
Good  was  done.  In  the  afternoon  Bro.  Smith 
spoke  from  the  chart.  Praise  the  Lord  for  his 
goodness  !  For  eight  weeks  I  have  preached  on 
an  average  one  sermon  a  day.  I  start  to-night  for 
Icard,  Burke  Co.,  N.C.  Dear  brethren  and  sisters, 
pray  for  me  and  mine.  Let  us  be  faithful  till 
Jesus  comes. 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1875   AND    1876.  265 


NOTES  BY  THE  WAY  IN  N.   CAROLINA. 

I  left  my  home  June  i  to  proclaim  the  pre- 
cious truths  of  the  Bible  in  this  hilly  country. 
Stopped  over  one  day  at  Ooltewah,  Tenn.,  and  saw 
a  few  of  the  brethren  and  sisters.  The  church 
there  is  very  sad  over  the  death  of  Bro.  Silas 
Smith.  June  2,  I  took  the  cars  at  six  a.m.,  and  at 
six  P.M.  found  myself  nearing  Johnson  City,  Tenn., 
where  I  met  Bro.  O.  F.  Goodwin,  who  had  come 
with  mules  from  Caldwell  Co.,  N.C.,  to  meet  me, 
a  distance  of  eighty  miles.  As  we  had  only  two 
days  in  which  to  ride  over  that  long  road  through 
the  mountains,  we  thought  best  to  start  immedi- 
ately, and  try  to  go  ten  or  twelve  miles  that  night. 
At  seven  we  mounted  our  mules  and  started. 
Notwithstanding  we  heard  it  thundering  in  the 
distance,  and  saw  a  heavy  cloud  rising,  we  thought 
perhaps  it  would  not  rain. 

We  rode  at  a  rapid  rate  till  about  dark,  when  it 
began  to  rain  terribly.  We  called  at  a  farmhouse 
to  stay  over  night,  but  they  would  not  take  us  in. 
When  I  took  my  shawl  from  my  saddle,  I  found 
I  had  lost  one  pair  of  my  saddle-bags,  in  which 
were  my  clothes  and  all  my  books  save  my  Bible 
and  hymn-book.  By  this  time  the  rain  poured  in 
torrents.  The  lightning  flashing  very  fast,  gave 
us  some  chance  to  see  the  road  before  us,  in  which 


266     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

ran  much  water.  We  started  back  in  search  of 
the  lost  saddle-bags,  having  learned,  too,  that  we 
had  missed  the  right  road.  We  had  gone  perhaps 
a  half-mile  from  the  house  where  they  refused  us 
lodging,  when  a  tremendous  stroke  of  lightning 
came  so  near  us  as  to  darken  our  eyes  with  green 
smoke,  and  fill  our  nostrils  with  fumes  of  sulphur. 
Bro.  Goodwin  was  about  six  steps  in  front  of  me. 
I  called  to  know  if  he  was  "  all  right."  No  answer 
came.  I  felt  sure  that  he  and  his  mule  were  both 
killed.  I  really  felt  sad  beyond  expression.  He 
was  a  stranger  to  me.  We  had  met  for  the  first 
time  about  one  hour  before,  and  had  spent  that 
hour  talking  over  these  glorious  truths  which  he 
had  written  me  to  come  and  preach  in  his  com- 
munity. And  now  to  think  he  is  killed  here  in 
this  strange  woods,  and  I  left  alone  with  him,  and 
it  so  dark  I  I  could  see  nothing  save  by  the  flash- 
ing lightning.  A  few  minutes  more  of  horrible 
suspense,  when  another  flash  enabled  me,  through 
the  heavy  air  yet  filled  with  the  smoke  of  the 
heavy  stroke,  to  see  that  he  was  still  on  his  mule. 
I  praised  the  Lord  for  it. 

After  a  few  minutes  he  heard  me,  and  I  found 
that  he  had  been  so  stunned  that,  for  a  time,  he 
was  almost  insensible.  We  rode  out  of  the  little 
skirt  of  woods  into  an  open  lane,  to  get  as  far  from 
trees  as  possible.  Here  we  sat  on  our  mules. 
The  rain    —  it  seemed  as  though  the  very  heavens 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1875   AND    1876.  267 

were  opened.  Here  I  thought  of  Bro.  Bowman's 
expression  in  the  Crisis  last  year  —  "  Boston 
preacher  with  a  New  England  gospel."  Then  I 
thought  of  Bro.  Grant  saying  that  he  was  greatly 
annoyed  with  "dust  "  over  a  part  of  his  homeward 
trip  from  California.  Well,  I  thought,  if  Bro. 
Grant  were  with  me  now,  and  if  it  were  daylight, 
he  would  not  find  much  '^  dust''  to  annoy  him. 

Here  is  a  great  field  for  work,  but  not  much  for 
ease  and  pleasure.  Wish  some  of  those  brethren 
who  see  good  times  would  try  it  a  while.  After 
some  time  we  rode  on,  and  luckily  found  the  sad- 
dle-bags by  the  lightning.  We  then  wandered  till 
we  came  to  a  magnificent  farmhouse,  owned  by 
Bro.  Narrowheart,  who,  it  is  said,  "  belongs  to  the 
church,  and  always  fills  his  place;"  but  he  has 
forgotten  the  command,  "  Be  careful  to  entertain 
strangers,"  and  would  not  take  us  for  love  or 
money.  May  God  bless  him,  and  teach  him  that 
"  not  every  one  that  saith  Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but  he  that  doetJi  the 
will  of  God  "  '(Matt.  7:21.)  I  pray  that  he  may 
never  be  turned  away  in  a  strange  country  on  a 
rainy  night.  We  then  gave  a  colored  man  on  the 
place  a  dollar  to  guide  us  back  to  the  hotel,  and  at 
ten  o'clock  we  called  at  the  house  which  we  had 
left  in  the  evening,  and  praised  the  Lord  that  it 
was  even  so  well  with  us. 

Next  morning  (Thursday,  June  3),  we  started 


268     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

again,  and  Friday  night  arrived  at  Bro.  Goodwin's, 
having  rode  eighty  miles  in  two  days,  all  the  way 
through  the  mountains,  where  there  is  some  grand 
scenery — deep  ravines,  magnificent  rocks  tower- 
ing in  some  places  above  the  tree-tops.  It  is  said 
that  the  road  through  this  mountain-pass,  from  East 
Tennessee  to  North  Carolina,  makes  one  thousand 
short  turns  around  rugged  hills  and  deep  hollows. 
Some  places  it  seemed  that  we  rode  a  mile  and 
could  look  across  the  deep  hollow,  and  see  the 
road  within  a  few  rods  of  us. 

We  were  almost  worn  out  with  the  trip,  but 
Saturday  morning  began  meetings  in  an  apple- 
orchard  belonging  to  Bro.  Patterson  Coffey,  near 
Bro.  Goodwin's  mill.  I  spoke  twice  on  Saturday 
and  twice  on  Sunday.  Good  attention  and  much 
interest  manifested.  There  was  some  little  excite- 
ment on  Sunday  by  some  questions  being  asked. 
The  good  brother  undertook  to  upset  the  truth,  but 
a  signal  failure  caused  him  to  become  apparently 
agitated;  May  God  bless  him,  and  enable  him  to 
come  to  the  truth ! 

Tuesday  night  we  held  meeting  in  Bro.  Good- 
v/in's  house.  Wednesday  morning,  went  to  John's 
River,  eight  miles,  where  we  met  Bro.  Drivehim- 
out,  a  prominent  Baptist  minister,  who  kindly  in- 
vited us  to  speak  in  his  church.  After  entering 
the  church,  he  asked  the  privilege  to  follow  us  and 
upset  anything  I  might  say  that  was  not  in  har- 


EXPERIENCES   IN    1875   AND    1S76.  269 

mony  with  his  feelings  or  faith.  I  spoke  forty-five 
minutes.  When  I  closed  I  asked  him  if  he  had 
anything  to  say.  (He  had  refused  to  sit  in  the 
desk  with  me.)  He  replied,  "  You  come  down 
here,  and  I  will  come  up  and  preach."  Like  a 
good  boy  I  walked  down  to  a  pew.  He  then 
spoke  fifty-four  minutes,  and  told  the  people  that 
he  found  but  little  objection  ;  but  perhaps  I  had 
ingeniously  given  them  a  bait  for  the  first,  know- 
ing that  honey  would  catch  more  flies  than  vinegar. 
I  told  him  that  he  was  like  the  lion  who  kindly 
invited  the  fox  into  his  den,  just  to  eat  him  up. 

Thursday  night,  back  to  Bro.  Goodwin's.  Had 
a  pleasant  season.  Friday,  back  again  to  John's 
River.  Met  Bro.  Drivehimout  again,  with  his 
Bible,  ready  for  a  battle.  I  learn  since  that  he  had 
spoken  to  an  old  citizen  to  preside  over  the  meet- 
ing. I  told  the  people  that  I  would  prefer  speak- 
ing in  Bro.  Coffey's  mill,  where  I  could  feel  free. 
When  the  time  came  to  open  meeting,  I  invited 
Bro.  Drivehimout  to  take  a  seat  and  follow  me.  I 
then  told  the  people  that  I  came  there  not  to  tear 
down  churches,  or  to  build  up  churches,  but  to 
preach  truth.  That  I  thought  in  a  free  country  I 
should  have  the  right  to  preach  what  I  believed  to 
be  truth  unmolested,  as  would  a  preacher  of  any 
other  denomination.  I  told  them  that  if  Bro. 
Drivehimout  wanted  to  tear  up  our  views,  let  him 
submit  a  proposition  to  me,  and  as  soon  as  a  mod- 


270     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

erator  could  be  appointed,  I  was  ready  to  discuss 
the  matter  in  a  spirit  of  kindness.  He  then  said 
he  would  not  challenge  me,  but  would  preach  his 
views  when  he  pleased,  charging  the  people  not 
to  say  that  he  was  afraid  of  me;  "for,"  said  he, 
"  I  am  not  afraid  of  any  of  you."  I  thought  that 
surely  it  did  not  require  carnal  bravery  to  carry  on 
God's  work,  but  deep  humility  of  soul.  He  carried 
his  Bible  away  without  discharging  his  heavy  load. 
The  best  of  feeling  prevailed  in  the  audience. 

Saturday,  I2th,  spoke  a.m.  and  p.m.,  with  good 
attention  and  increasing  interest ;  but  Bro.  Drive- 
himout  had  gone  to  another  appointment.  Last 
night,  had  a  pleasant  social  meeting  at  the  house 
of  Bro.  Drury  Coffey.  Bro.  O.  F.  Goodwin  has 
assisted  in  the  meetings  with  much  zeal,  also  an 
aged  Bro.  Healand,  of  the  M.  E.  Church  from 
Lenoir,  has  freely  assisted  us,  and  proved  to  the 
world  that  he  loves  Jesus.  I  have  been  here  nine 
days,  and  held  eleven  meetings.  Will  speak  twice 
to-day  (Sunday).     Pray  for  me. 

Collelsznlle,  N.C.,June  13,  1875. 

I  will  relate  another  incident  in  connection  with 
that  first  meeting  in  the  apple-orchard.  An  un- 
converted man  whose  wife  was  a  strong  Baptist 
wanted  to  come  to  the  meeting,  but  his  wife 
opposed  it  bitterly.  He  went  to  the  field  as  usual 
with  his  horse  to  plow.     When  the  hour  for  preach- 


EXPERIENCES   IN    1875   AND    1876.  27 1 

ing  came  he  released  his  horse  from  the  plow,  and, 
with  his  soiled  clothes  on,  rode  to  the  apple-orchard 
and  heard  me.  This  made  him  late  to  dinner. 
His  wife  said,  "  Where  in  this  world  have  you 
been  .''  "  He  told  her  frankly.  She  confessed  to 
me  that  she  was  enraged  about  it,  and  said,  "  I  do 
wonder  in  my  heart  if  you  have  been  to  hear  that 
old  Advent  ! "     Tears  came  in  his  eyes  as  he  said, 

"  I  tell  you,  M ,  I  have,  and  I  do  wish  you  had 

been  there  too.  Why,  I  never  heard  the  like  in 
my  life,  and  I  tell  you  that  he  is  a  good  man  ;  they 
can  all  say  what  they  please  about  him." 

She  felt  condemned  for  having  opposed  her  un- 
converted husband's  going.  Next  morning  she 
came  with  him  to  the  apple-orchard.  I  soon  after- 
ward baptized  that  husband,  and  they  came  into 
the  church  together  when  I  organized  the  first  one 
in  that  State,  and  live  to-day  to  honor  their  pro- 
fession by  their  works. 

My  last  left  me  at  Colletsville,  N.C.,  Sunday 
morning,  June  13.  Bro.  Drivehimout  had  told  me 
I  could  not  speak  in  the  Baptist  Church,  unless 
he  was  present  to  let  me  in  ;  but  having  learned 
that  he  was  not  a  church  officer,  but  only  a  mem- 
ber, the  brethren  of  his  own  church  in  his  absence 
opened  the  door  and  invited  me  in.  Bro.  Powell 
is  the  regular  pastor. 

We  had  an  audience  of  about  six  hundred.     At 


2/2      AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OP^   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

eleven  a.m.  I  spoke  from  Dan.  2  :  44.  The  large 
crowd  listened  with  almost  breathless  silence,  and 
thus  showed  their  eagerness  to  hear  our  views.  I 
spoke  again  in  the  afternoon.  Sunday  night,  spent 
the  time  with  Bro.  Henry  Coffey  and  family.  Had 
a  pleasant  time  with  his  aged  mother-in-law,  who 
seems  to  love  Jesus  dearly.  Monday,  spoke  in  a 
schoolroom  jammed  full.  The  people  requested 
us  to  speak  again  in  the  afternoon.  We  did  so, 
and  at  night  a  crowd  came  where  we  were  stop- 
ping, and  we  preached  again.  My  lungs  were 
almost  worn  out. 

Tuesday  Bro.  Goodwin  and  Bro.  Patterson 
Coffey  came  with  a  hack  and  took  me  to  the 
beautiful  village  of  Lenoir.  I  spoke  to  a  few  on 
short  notice  at  four  o'clock  p.m.  in  the  court- 
house. Left  an  appointment  for  seven,  but  a 
stranger  came  forward,  being  a  physician,  and  said 
I  must  not,  for  I  was  too  nearly  exhausted.  I 
had  a  bad  hemorrhage  the  night  before,  but  said 
nothing  about  it.  The  people  were  then  notified 
to  meet  next  day  at  three  p.m.  I  then  went  with 
Bro.  W.  M.  Puett,  who  with  his  Christian  wife 
made  us  feel  at  home.  Wednesday,  audience 
small.  Went  with  Bro.  James  Healan,  a  Method- 
ist minister,  who  treated  us  kindly.  The  regular 
clergy  in  this  town  gave  us  no  countenance.  I 
learned  that  they  feared,  if  they  should,  that  some 
of  their  flock  might  be  encouraged  to  believe  the 
heresy. 


EXPERIENCES   IN    1875    AND    1876.  273 

We  closed  our  meetings  here  on  Thursday 
night.  Spoke  to  a  fair  crowd,  from  the  words, 
"  If  a  man  die,  shall  he  live  again  ?  "  (Job  14  :  14.) 
Stopped  with  Bro.  Spainhour,  who  with  his  good, 
motherly  wife  made  us  feel  at  home.  In  this 
villag-e  of  Lenoir  are  several  churches,  none  of 
which  were  we  invited  to  occupy.  This  is  the 
first  village  where  we  were  not  invited  to  occupy 
a  church  since  we  left  De  View,  Ark.  I  fear  that 
a  great  deal  of  the  religion  among  the  dignitaries 
consists  only  in  Churchanity  instead  of  a  pure 
Christianity.  We  feel  sure  that  men  full  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  who  preach  for  salvation  instead  of 
"bread  and  butter,"  have  hearts  filled  with  love 
instead  of  selfishness. 

I  should  like  to  pitch  a  tent  in  this  town,  into 
which  I  can  invite  God's  children  of  every  denom- 
ination to  come  and  worship  with  me  and  call  on 
sinners  to  prepare  for  the  coming  kingdom. 

This  (Saturday)  morning,  June  19,  I  feel  some 
better,  thank  the  Lord  !  Last  night  I  stayed  with 
Bro.  and  Sr.  P.  Coffey,  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
They  love  the  truth,  and  Bro.  C is  very  ear- 
nestly investigating,  like  the  noble  Bereans,  to  see 
whether  these  things  are  so.  Dear  Brethren  and 
Sisters,  pray  for  me  and  my  family  in  Alabama. 
The  battle  is  hard,  and  tribulations  and  privations 
are  around  us  on  every  hand  ;  but  when  the  Master 
comes  he  will  adjust  all  these  things  and  give  us 


274     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

joy  for  heaviness.     I  feel  that  he  is  soon  coming, 

and    will  find   but    little   genuine   "faith    on    the 

earth."     May  God  keep  us  unto  the  day  of   his 

coming  is  the  prayer  of  your  brother  in  hope  of 

eternal  life. 

John   A.    Cargile. 

Mulberry,    N.C.,  June   19,   1875. 

The  Bros.  Coffey  mentioned  in  the  above  letter 
have  long  since  embraced  the  truth  and  put  on  the 
armor.  The  dear  old  mother  died  in  the  faith  of 
soon  seeing  Jesus  in  the  clouds  of  heaven. 

\  pray  that  her  loving  children  may  all  be  ready 
to  meet  her  in  that  day. 

Sunday,  June  20,  I  went  again  to  John's  River 
and  preached  my  farewell  sermon.  Monday 
morning  I  started  for  the  cars  (with  my  little 
friend  Finley  Coffey,  who  was  then  fourteen  years 
old),  eighty  or  ninety  miles  through  the  mountains 
on  horseback.  Stopped  at  Blowing  Rock  and 
preached  at  night  to  a  crowded  house.  Next 
morning,  by  8.30,  the  house  and  porch  were  filled 
with  people  who  were  eager  to  hear  more.  I 
spoke  from  Matt.  5  :  5,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  was 
there.  We  mounted  at  half-past  ten,  and  rode 
seven  miles  to  Shull's  Mill,  where,  despite  the 
rain,  I  found  a  crowd  gathered  into  a  schoolhouse 
.waiting  to  hear  the  man  who  they  had  learned 
would  pass  there.  I  spoke  one  hour  and  a  quarter, 
and  went  out  in  the  rain,  and  mounted  to  start. 


EXPERIENCES   IN    1875   AND    1876.  275 

Some  said,  "Come  again,"  but  nobody  said, 
"  Have  dinner,"  and  we  rode  off  in  the  rain.  We 
rode  nearly  thirty  miles,  and  I  preached  again  at 
night  in  the  dwelling  of  a  Baptist  minister  who 
had  invited  me  to  leave  the  appointment.  Next 
morning  he  charged  me  fifty  cents  for  my  lodging, 
claiming  that  he  did  it  only  to  keep  his  brethren 
from  bringing  charges  against  him  for  entertaining 
me.  On  my  way  home  my  wife  met  me  in  Mouse 
Creek,  Tenn.,  and  after  enjoying  a  visit  there  we 
went  to  Philadelphia,  Tenn.,  and  enjoyed  some 
good  meetings. 

The  result  of  this  visit  to  North  Carolina  can 
be  seen  by  the  following  extract  from  a  letter 
which  I  received  soon  after  their  next  regular 
meeting  :  — 

"Dear  Bko.  Cargile  : — A  note  will  inform 
you  of  the  state  of  feeling  here  now.  We  have 
held  our  church  meeting.  Brn.  Drivehimout 
and  Powell  were  both  there.  Powell  preached 
a  good  sermon.  Drivehimout  seemed  out  of 
humor.  Church  seated  ready  for  business,  I 
called  for  the  '  Articles  of  Faith  '  to  be  read, 
which  was  done,  and  all  sanctioned  it  cheerfully. 
This  did  not  satisfy  them.  They  wanted  a  com- 
mittee to  be  sent, — for  Drivehimout  to  select 
his  own  committee.  We  offered  all  that  any 
Christian  could  conscientiously  ask  for,  and  noth- 


276      AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.   CARGILIi. 

ing  would  do  ;  so  about  twenty  of  us  withdrew 
from  the  church.  .  .  .  We  are  keeping  still.  We 
calculate  on  putting  up  a  house  soon.  We  can 
say  of  a  truth   that   such  tyrannical  dealing  you 

never  saw,  surely.     James  C has  been  up,  and 

such  a  thrashing  as  he  gave  you,  and  said  he 
would  challenge  you  if  you  were  only  here.  I 
hear  very  favorable  reports  from  other  places 
where  you  preached. 

With  respect,  etc., 

D.     D.     COFFEV." 

A  short  time  afterward  I  received  the  following 
from  the  same  pen  :  — 

"  COLLETSVILLE,   N.C.,  Aug.    I3. 

Dear  Bro.  Cargile  :  —  As  Bro.  Goodwin  is 
here,  and  we  have  just  received  your  postal  card, 
we  hasten  to  reply.  We  are  shoving  with  all  our 
might.  Our  man  will  be  here  to-morrow,  to 
commence  plastermg.  We  have  a  large,  portly 
church,  painted,  one-third  larger  than  the  other. 
There  will  be  stirring  times  here  for  those  that 
live  to  see  it.  People  for  ten  miles  around  are 
anxious  to  know  when  you  will  be  here.  You 
have  set  the  world  on  fire,  so  to  speak,  down  here. 
We  hear  it  rumored  around  that  Bro.  Drivehimout 
will  have   his   big  guns   from  Raleigh.     We  will 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1875   AND    1876.  277 

want  the  house  dedicated,  and  probably  a  church 
organized. 

We  are  getting  along  better  than  any  one  antici- 
pated, I  think.  We  all  send  our  love  to  you, 
and  hope  you  are  engaged  for  us  in  our  destitute 
condition.  Write  immediately,  and  let  us  know 
what  to  depend  on.  We  want  you  to  be  here  by 
the  second  Sunday  in  September.  I  could  write 
many  things,  but  will  omit  this  time. 

With  respect, 

D.  D.  Coffey." 

Oh,  praise  the  Lord  that  the  little  grape  and 
canister  thrown  from  God's  fort  (the  Bible)  have 
produced  some  disturbance  in  the  enemy's  camp ! 
O  how  I  feel  the  pressing  duty  to  be  there  now  ! 
How  natural  it  will  seem  when  I  get  within  range 
of  the  huge  field  guns  of  the  devil's  battery,  and 
begin  to  feel  his  shot  and  shell.  How  much  I 
crave  your  prayers  that  God  will  enable  me,  weak 
as  I  am,  to  hide  in  Jesus,  and  glorify  his  name, 
and  that  the  truth  may  not  suffer. 

To  the  kind  brethren  and  sisters  who  have 
shared  their  substance  with  me,  1  would  say,  God 
bless  and  abundantly  reward  you.  I  sent  it  home 
to  my  dear  wife,  who  writes  me  that  it  came  just 
in  time  to  save  her  from  being  forced  to  contract 
debt  for  supplies.  Thus  have  you  by  your  liber- 
ality made  our  poor  hearts  glad. 


278      AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.   CARGILE. 

Do  pray  for  me  in  my  field  of  labor  that  God 
may  still  strengthen.  Pray  for  my  dear  ones  at 
home  in  their  loneliness. 

Yours  for  the  war, 

J.   A.  Cargile. 

Alton   Bay,  Aug.  21,    1875. 

In  this  year  (1875)  ^  made  my  first  visit  north, 
and  attended  the  eastern  camp-meetings,  and  on 
my  return  stopped  over  in  Washington,  and 
preached  on  the  street  by  moonlight.  From 
Washington  I  reached  Morganton,  N.C.,  Sept.  19, 
at  two  P.M.  Met  Bro.  Israel  Coffey,  who  drove 
me  sixteen  miles  to  John's  River,  where  I  found  a 
very  large  crowd  on  Saturday  at  the  beautiful  new 
chapel  recently  built  by  the  brethren  whom  Bro. 
Drivehimout  had  excluded  from  the  Baptist 
Church.  On  Sunday  I  dedicated  the  house  to  God 
and  organized  a  church  with  fourteen  members. 

Monday  night  eight  came  forward  for  prayer, 
and  thirteen  joined  the  new  church.  Thursday, 
rode  a  mule  thirteen  miles  to  Lower  Creek. 
Passing  through  Lenoir,  one  said,  "That  fellow 
has  broken  up  one  of  our  best  churches,  and  that 
ought  to  satisfy  him."  Finding  the  church  door 
locked,  I  spoke  in  the  yard.  Wednesday  the 
crowd  increased.  I  started  back  to  John's  River 
and  got  lost,  and  rambled  over  hills  and  through 
hollows  till  dark.  P'inally,  I  was  surprised  to  find 
a  small  cabin  at  the  head  of  the  hollow,  where  I 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1875    AND    1876.  279 

learned  the  way  out,  and  then  rode  four  miles, 
but  was  too  late  for  the  meeting.  Next  morning, 
rode  six  miles  to  the  new  church.  Five  came  for 
prayer,  two  were  converted,  one  joined  the  church, 
and  I  praised  the  Lord.  I  have  preached  day  and 
night,  and  had  chills  too.  People  came  from  four 
counties,  some  on  foot,  in  ox  wagons,  and  others 
on  mules  and  horses.  Satan  tried  hard  to  keep 
the  truth  down  by  telling  falsehoods,  but  still  God 
blessed,  and  truth  prospered. 

From  the  17th  to  the  20th  of  September  I 
preached  nine  sermons,  had  eighty-three  forward 
for  prayer,  eleven  joined  the  church,  and  I  baptized 
five.  Praise  God  for  success.  Now  we  had  forty- 
two  members  in  the  little  church  in  nine  days. 
Late  in  the  afternoon  Bro.  D.  D.  Coffey  and  my- 
self started  twenty  miles  to  Blowing  Rock.  I 
rode  a  horse,  and  Bro.  Coffey  and  a  sister  (wha 
happened  to  be  going  our  road  about  half-way) 
rode  mules.  The  sister  carried,  on  the  little  mule, 
a  bolt  of  brown  sheeting,  thirty  yards  of  calico, 
and  as  much  bleached  domestic,  besides  a  satchel 
of  plates  and  a  tin  coffee-pot.  It  was  very  late, 
and  we  rode  in  a  fast  gallop.  At  Blowing  Rock 
the  priests  were  arrayed  against  the  truth.  An 
Kpiscopal  clergyman  opposed  me,  but  would  not 
debate. 

On  the  2d  of  November  I  wrote  a  report, 
headed, — 


28o     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CAKGILE. 

THE  WORK    IN   ALABAMA. 

I  will  try  to  report  my  labors  since  I  reached 
home  from  North  Carolina. 

The  first  Saturday  and  Sunday  in  October  I  was 
with  the  church  at  Ooltewah,  Tenn.  The  second 
Saturday  and  Sunday  at  Shiloh  Church,  in  De- 
Kalb  Co.,  Ala.  We  continued  the  meeting  over 
until  Wednesday.  Brn.  J.  J.  Smith  and  D.  B. 
Waldrop,  of  our  church,  and  Bro.  Thomas  Payne  of 
the  M.  E.  Church  South,  were  with  me  and  helped 
to  preach  the  word.  Seven  were  added  to  the 
church,  among  them  Bro.  F.  M.  Avans,  a  minis- 
ter, and  wife.  Two  years  ago  he  wrote  me  a  letter 
warning  me  to  beware  of  "the  rotten  Northern 
doctrine."  Now  he  is  convinced  it  is  truth,  and 
comes  out  to  defend  it.  The  others  who  joined 
were  Bro.  Richard  P.  Shattuck,  wife,  and  two 
sons,  formerly  of  Whitefield,  N.H.,  and  Sr. 
Melinda  Smith,  little  daughter  of  Bro.  and  Sr.  J. 
J.  Smith.  The  third  Saturday  and  Sunday  at  Oak 
Grove,  where  the  devil  has  tried  so  hard  to  ruin 
us  by  stirring  up  the  minds  of  the  people  and  fill- 
ing them  with  prejudice.  The  audience  was  small, 
but  we  tried  to  give  them  the  truth.  Satan  knows 
that  the  only  way  to  keep  the  people  from  em- 
bracing God's  truth  is  to  fill  them  so  full  of  preju- 
dice that  they  will  not  go  to  hear.  He  has  used 
his  utmost  skill  here  at  Oak  Grove,  using  some  of 


EXPERIENCES   IN    1875   AND    1876.  28 1 

the  Orthodox  ministers  as  tools  to  do  his  diaboli- 
cal work.  Nevertheless,  the  "little  flock"  still 
loves  the  truth,  and  seems  ready,  if  need  be,  to 
die  for  it. 

The  fourth  Saturday  and  Sunday,  Bro.  D.  B. 
Waldrop's  meeting  began  in  Pea  Town,  and  it 
was  my  privilege  to  be  with  them  on  Sunday  and 
Monday. 

Friday  night  before  the  fifth  Sunday  at  my 
uncle's  (Jesse  Cargile),  near  Bro.  J.  J.  Smith's. 
I  tried  to  preach.  Saturday  morning  went  over  to 
Bro.  Smith's,  and  found  his  son,  Bro.  Willie  Smith, 
very  low  with  typhoid-fever,  and  Bro.  Smith  him- 
self almost  worn  out,  as  Bro.  Willie  has  been  sick 

three  weeks,  and  Bro.  S has  done  all  the  work, 

besides  watching  by  the  bedside  nights.  He  is 
nearly  sixty-four  years  old,  and  has  spent  about 
forty  of  that  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord. 

Notwithstanding  all  the  discouragements,  he 
has  agreed  to  go  to  North  Carolina  for  me  in  two 
weeks,  provided  Bro.  Willie  promises  recovery.  I 
do  not  presume  his  family  had  a  week's  supplies, 
and  he  the  only  earthly  dependence  ;  but  when  I 
told  him  it  was  duty  for  me  to  go  to  Arkansas 
this  month,  he  resolved  to  take  my  place  in  North 
Carolina.  This  is  what  I  call  preaching  through 
tribulation. 

Saturday,  at  1 1  a.m.,  met  a  few  at  the  school- 
room.    At  night,  at  the  dwelling  of  friend  Guess, 


282      AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

I  met  Brn.  Smith,  Avans,  Waldrop,  and  Lowry. 
It  was  really  encouraging  to  look  back  two  years, 
when  Bro.  Smith  and  myself  were  struggling 
alone,  so  far  as  human  help  is  concerned,  and  now 
see  how  the  Lord  has  taken  care  of  his  word. 
Five  Advent  preachers  at  the  same  meeting,  be- 
side Brn.  Crawford,  Stewart,  and  Bryan,  making 
eight  in  this  county. 

Sunday  a.m.,  10.30,  house  full.  One  Baptist 
and  one  Methodist  minister  in  addition  to  our  five 
Advent  brethren.  I  tried  to  speak  while  I  suffered 
terrible  pain  from  rheumatism,  after  which  we 
went  to  the  water  and  I  buried  three  in  baptism 
—  all  in  their  youth:  the  two  sons  of  Bro.  and 
Sr.  Shattuck,  from  Whitefield,  N.H.,  and  Sr. 
Melinda  Smith. 

I  heard  that  the  Baptist  Church  near  Trenton, 
Ga.,  had  sent  a  committee  to  wait  on  a  young 
sister  who  had  left  them  and  joined  "  the  Advents," 
to  invite  her  to  their  next  meeting  to  acknowledge 
she  had  done  wrong,  etc.  She  went,  and  told 
them  she  joined  the  "Advents"  of  he*r  own  free 
choice,  and  did  not  wish  to  be  "pardoned  "  for  so 
doing.  The  pastor,  who  had  me  excluded  for 
heresy  three  years  ago,  then  rose,  weeping,  and 
said,  "  Brethren,  if  something  is  not  done  to 
prevent  them,  the  Advents  will  take  this  coun- 
try in  five  years."  I  think  Satan  believes  just 
as  the  old    pastor   did,    for    he    is    doing    all    he 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1875   AND    1876.  283 

possibly  can  to  ruin  us,  not  only  here,  but  in 
Arkansas. 

One  of  the  severest  trials  and  of  greatest  men- 
tal agony  that  I  ever  endured  was  upon  me  just 
as  the  Christmas  holidays  were  approaching,  and 
'I  was  all  discouraged.  On  the  23d  of  December, 
1875,  I  wrote  an  article  which  was  published  in 
the  Crisis  of  Feb.  9,  1876,  as  follows:  Isa. 
40:  I.  ^' Comfort  ye,  comfort  ye  my  people,  saith 
your  God!' 

Oh,  how  much  God's  careworn  and  tempest- 
tossed  children  need  this  comfort  !  These  pre- 
cious words  are  sweet  this  morning  to  me.  With 
a  heavy  burden  on  my  heart,  I  opened  my  Bible 
to  read,  thinking  I  would  spend  the  day  in  read- 
ing, fasting,  and  praying  the  Lord  to  give  grace 
sufficient  to  enable  me  to  pass  through  these  fiery 
trials,  and  to  soon  stand  before  the  King  in  his 
beauty.  The  first  thing,  on  opening  the  blessed 
book,  my  eyes  fell  on  the  above  passage.  Tears 
gushed  from  them  as  I  in  silence  prayed,  "  O 
Father,  give  me  this  comfort  now  !  "  My  eyes 
followed  the  sweet  lines  from  verses  5  to  11. 
"  And  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  be  revealed,  and 
all  flesh  shall  see  it  together  :  for  the  mouth  of  the 
Lord  hath  spoken  it.  The  voice  said,  Cry.  And  he 
said,  What  shall  I  cry  ?  All  flesh  is  grass,  and  all 
the  goodliness  thereof  is  as  the  flower  of  the 
field :   The    grass    withereth,   the   flower   fadeth ; 


284     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN    A.   CARGILE. 

because  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  bloweth  upon  it : 
surely  the  people  is  grass.  The  grass  withereth, 
the  flower  fadeth  :  but  the  word  of  our  God  shall 
stand  forever.  O  Zion,  that  bringest  good  tidings, 
get  thee  up  into  the  high  mountain  ;  O  Jerusalem, 
that  bringest  good  tidings,  lift  up  thy  voice  with 
strength  ;  lift  it  up,  be  not  afraid  ;  say  unto  the 
cities  of  Judah,  Behold  your  God !  Behold  the 
Lord  God  will  come  with  strong  hand,  and  his  arm 
shall  rule  for  him  :  behold,  his  reward  is  with  him, 
and  his  work  before  him."  How  timely  these 
blessed  words  are  to  my  burdened  soul  this  day  !  He 
is  coming  to  do  his  glorious  work,  a  part  of  which 
will  be  "  to  comfort  all  that  mourn ;  to  appoint 
unto  them  that  mourn  in  Zion,  to  give  unto  them 
beauty  for  ashes,  the  oil  of  "joy  for  mourning,  the 
garment  of  praise  for  the  spirit  of  heaviness  ;  that 
they  might  be  called  Trees  of  righteousness.  The 
planting  of  the  Lord,  that  he  might  be  glorified  " 
(Isa.  61,  2,  3).  My  heart  responds.  Yea,  Lord, 
hasten  the  time. 

These  burdens,  how  discouraging  to  the  minis- 
ter of  Jesus  who  really  feels  the  "  woe,"  as  I 
think  I  do.  How  Satan  works  to  pull  down  all 
our  labors.  Only  a  few  days  ago  a  dancing  pro- 
fessor, at  whose  house  I  had  tried  to  preach,  said 
to  me,  "  When  are  you  coming  back  to  preach  for 
us  .-"  "  I  replied,  "  When  you  quit  dancing."  How 
it  made  me  feel  that  I  had  spent  labor  in  vain, 


EXPERIENCES   IN    1875   AND    1876.  285 

when  he  said,  "  Prove  to  me  that  there  is  harm  in 
it."  Here  comes  news  on  another  hand  that  a 
preacher  had  gone  to  a  party  and  played  "  Snap." 
Then  comes  trouble  to  my  almost  bleeding  heart. 
For  a  few  days  I  have  had  the  sorest  trials  of  life. 
Satan  has  said  to  me,  "  Now  see  how  it  goes. 
Other  denominations  do  these  things,  and  you 
thought  you  could  build  up  a  people  to  live  too 
holy  to  do  such  things :  and  now,  if  I  were  you,  I 
would  quit  trying  to  preach."  At  one  time  when 
he  had  almost  "  exhausted  "  me,  and  had  me  bat- 
tling just  as  Bro.  Harding  did  on  the  Penobscot 
River,  these  cheering  words  came  to  mind  :  "  And 
the  Redeemer  shall  come  to  Zion,  and  unto  them 
that  turn  from  transgression  in  Jacob,  saith  the 
Lord "  (Isa.  59 :  20).  Bless  the  name  of  our 
God  for  the  promise  that  in  the  Kingdom  "  the 
days  of  thy  mourning  shall  be  ended  "  (Isa.  60 : 
20). 

Dear  fellow  pilgrims,  we  are  amid  the  perils  of 
the  last  days.  Satan  will  get  all  he  can  to  turn 
from  Jesus.  To  the  beloved  who  have  been,  in  an 
evil  hour,  tempted  to  say,  "  Why,  there  is  no 
harm  in  it,"  I  would  say.  Would  you  not  better 
be  praying  than  playing  or  dancing  .-*  God  knows 
I  love  you,  and  want  you  to  be  in  the  kingdom. 

If  you  knew  that  Jesus  would  come  at  the 
dawning  of  to-morrow's  morning,  would  you  feel 
willing  to  spend    the    night    in    a    social    party  ? 


286     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

Would  you  not  prefer  a  prayer-meeting?  "The 
grace  of  God  that  bringeth  salvation  hath  ap- 
peared unto  all  men,  teaching  us  that  denying 
ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts,  we  should  live 
soberly,  righteously,  and  godly,  in  this  present 
world,  looking  for  that  blessed  hope,  and  the  glo- 
rious appearing  of  the  great  God  and  our  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ,  who  gave  himself  for  us,  that  he 
might  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity,  and  purify 
unto  himself  a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good 
works"  (Tit.  2  :   11-14). 

Let  me  beseech  you,  dear  ones,  yield  no  more 
to  the  snare  of  the  devil,  but  cling  to  the  cross. 
"  Return  unto  me  ;  for  I  have  redeemed  thee  " 
(Isa.  44:  22).  "Comfort  ye,  comfort  ye  my 
people,  saith  the  Lord."  To  the  churches  :  Grace 
be  with  you  all.     Oh,  pray  for  me  ' 

Stevenson,  Ala. 1  Dec.  23,  1875. 

NORTH    CAROLINA   AGAIN. 

The  blessed  truths  we  as  a  people  love  so  well 
are  spreading  rapidly  in  this  beautiful,  healthy 
country.  To  show  how  God  is  at  work,  I  copy  a 
letter  received  from  this  country  before  I  left 
home.  It  is  from  a  very  able  and  prominent  Bap- 
tist minister,  who  refused  to  publish  my  appoint- 
ments last  September  when  I  came  to  this  coun- 
try ;  but  he  has  been  reading  since  then,  and  now 
writes  as  follows  :  — 


EXPERIENCES   IN    1875   AND    1876.  287 

"Jan.  12,  1876. 

Dear  Bro.  Cargile  :  To-night  finds  me  do- 
ing what  I  would  not  have  done  twelve  months 
ago  without  feeling  that  I  had  almost  committed 
a  crime  ;  but  now  rest  assured,  I  do  it  with  pleas- 
ure ;  that  is,  addressing  you  as  a  fellow-laborer  in 
the  gospel.  I  begin  to  see  what  it  is  to  be  perse- 
cuted for  righteousness'  sake.  I  have  been  trying 
to  preach  the  Bible  as  God  gave  it,  which  is  an 
unwelcome  message  to  the  majority  of  my  people. 
I  have  been  thinking  of  writing  to  you  for  some 
time,  but  have  delayed  till  after  our  regular  church- 
meeting,  which  was  last  Saturday,  as  that  was  the 

time  old  Bro.    said  he  was  going  to  have  a 

general  cleaning-out  of  Flat  Top  Church.  We  were 
all  there  ready,  but  behold  the  old  man  did  not 
appear  ;  consequently  not  a  thing  was  said  about 
the  Advent  doctrine,  notwithstanding  I  preached  a 
straight  out  Advent  scnnoii,  as  far  as  I  was  able, 
from  I  Pet.  i  :  3-5,  and,  as  I  told  them  that  day, 
I  never  have  felt  more  at  liberty  in  my  life  than 
while  preaching  from  this  and  kindred  te.xts.  I 
said  I  felt  that  God's  hosts  were  with  or  around 
me.  1  can't  tell  what  will  be  the  termination  of 
the  matter  at  our  church,  but  God  being  my 
helper,  I  intend  to  stand  for  what  I  see  the  word 
teaches,  leaving  the  consequences  with  him  who 
doeth  all  things  well. 

My  time  as  pastor  will  terminate  next  meeting  ; 


288      AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN    A.   CARGILE. 

then  there  will  be  a  change  in  matters,  and  I  pray 
God  for  the  better.  I  long  to  see  you  return  to 
North  Carolina  again.  Come  without  limiting 
yourself    as  to   time,   if  you   can.     I   did  not  try 

to  preach  on  last  Sunday,  as  Bro.  D.  C.  H was 

present  with  his  gnu  heavily  cJiarged  zvit/i  mw^r- 
tality.  Text  :  '  What  is  man  ? '  His  first  position 
was  that  man  was  made  of  two  parts  —  one  mor- 
tal, the  other  immortal.  I  could  but  think,  when 
he  made  this  statement,  how  different  from  the 
statement  made  in  Gen.  2  :  7.  The  other  state- 
ments were  pretty  much  in  harmony  with  this. 
When  will  the  time  come  when  we,  as  ministers 
of  the  gospel,  will  be  willing  for  the  Bible  to 
speak  .'' 

I  am  still  trying  to  preach  to  four  churches,  but 
understand  they  are  going  to  close  the  doors 
against  me  at  one  of  them,  down  in  Caldwell, 
next  meeting.  This  does  not  daunt  me,  as  I  feel 
I  have  the  Bible  for  my  theme,  and  trying  to  trust 
what  Paul  says  in  Rom.  8  :  28,  I  tell  them  I  will 
do  like  my  blessed  Master  ;  I  will  preach  it  on  the 
highway,  to  one  or  to  a  thousand,  as  opportunity 
offers. 

There  are  many  believers  in  the  doctrine  of  the 
kingdom  in  this  country,  and  the  number  is  in- 
creasing in  proportion  as  it  is  preached.  A  large 
field  presents  itself,  where  the  people  will  readily 
embrace  the  truth,  I  believe,  if  it  is  presented  to 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1875    AND    1876.  289 

them  as  it  is  in  the  Bible.  The  harvest  is  great, 
but  the  laborers  are  few.  I  have  an  appointment 
ten  miles  from  here  East,  the  fifth  Saturday  and 
Sunday,  to  preach  'The  Kingdom.'  Pray  that  I 
may  have  the  Spirit  to  attend  me.  I  never  so 
much  wanted  to  preach  in  my  life  as  I  have  for 
the  last  few  days.  The  cause  I  think  you  can 
explain  better  than  I  can. 

I  have  just  commenced  to  read  'The  Plan  of 
Redemption,'  by  Wellcome  and  Goude,  in  which 
I  see  things  as  I  never  saw  them  before,  and,  I 
think,  in  their  true  light.  I  have  just  read  '  Ghost- 
ology  '  for  the  first  time  ;  I  think  it  the  most  con- 
vincing I  ever  read.  I  have  read  many  tracts  and 
pamphlets  since  I  saw  you,  but  love  my  Bible  the 
best  of  all.  When  I  think  of  the  saints'  inherit- 
ance, and  realize  what  it  is,  I  often  think  this  is 
too  good  for  me.  Who  could  help  loving  a  being 
like  our  blessed  Lord  .''  who  would  ever  offer  such 
things  to  poor  sinners  like  me  ^  and  with  the  poet 
I  can  say,  — 

'  If  there  is  only  one  song  I  can  sing, 
When  in  his  beauty  I  see  the  great  King, 
This  shall  my  song  in  eternity  be, 
Oh,  'tis  a  wonder  that  Jesus  loves  me.' 

I  want  you  to  write  me  as  soon  as  you  get  this, 
and  let  me  know  when  you  are  coming.  Send 
your  appointments.     1  will  publish  them  this  time. 


290     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

Love  to  Bro.  Smith.  Tell  him  to  come  back 
when  he  can.     Pray  for  me. 

Yours  in  the  gospel, 

T.    F.  N ." 

Thank  God,  this  brother  has  the  light,  and  is 
willing  to  breast  the  storm  of  popular  opinion. 
His  cheerful  and  Christian  wife  is  with  him.  She 
said  to  me,  I  don't  care  what  they  say  ;  I  want  the 
truth."  Oh,  I  do  praise  God  for  the  advancement 
of  the  work.  I  will  now  give  a  few  "  notes  by 
the  way." 

After  receiving  Bro.  N 's  letter,  I  left  home 

Jan.  28.  Stopped  with  the  church  at  Oolte- 
wah,  Tenn.,  till  Monday,  31st.  Left  Ooltewah  on 
Monday  31st,  and  on  the  train  met  the  editor  of  the 
Baptist  .^<f/?^^/<?;' of  Morristown,  Tenn.  He  never 
had  heard  of  our  views,  and  after  talking  a  while 
said,  "The  parable  of  the  rich  man  and  Lazarus 
is  all  I  can  find  that  seems  to  favor  the  conscious 
state  of  the  dead."  I  gave  him  some  very  strong 
tracts.  He  kindly  invited  me  to  dinner.  I  found 
his  wife  also  was  very  kind  and  social. 

Left  Morristowij,  Tuesday,  Feb.  i.  Had  a 
lively  controversy  on  the  train  with  a  wealthy 
farmer  of  Cocke  Co.,  Tenn.,  a  Baptist,  who  be- 
lieved folks  went  to  heaven  when  they  died.  I 
asked  for  his  Scripture.  He  replied,  "Oh,  if  I 
was  as  well  posted  on  my  side  as  you  are  on  yours, 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1875   AND    1S76.  29I 

I  could  find  as  many  on  my  side  of  the  question  ; 
but  I  have  not  taken  time  to  look  them  up."  I 
told  him  that  if  the  Bible  was  like  an  old  fiddle  — 
i.e.,  play  any  tune  you  want  —  I  had  no  further 
use  for  it ;  but  that  it  was  not  yea  and  nay,  but 
yea  and  amen,  to  the  glory  of  God. 

Tuesday  night,  stayed  at  Wolf  Creek.  It 
snowed,  and  the  ground  was  frozen  hard  next 
morning.  I  started  in  an  old  open  hack  for  Ash- 
ville,  N.C.,  a  distance  of  sixty-nine  miles.  When 
I  had  gone  five  miles,  facing  the  keen  North  Car- 
olina winds,  I  was  very  cold,  and  a  gentleman 
came  out  from  a  store  on  the  roadside,  in  Madison 
Co.,  N.C.,  who  proved  to  be  Bro.  P.  Seism,  the 
owner  of  the  store.  He  said  if  I  would  stop  over 
he  would  send  round  and  get  me  a  congregation 
to  speak  to  ;  and  as  our  views  had  never  been  pro- 
claimed there,  I  felt  it  duty  to  do  so.  A  small 
audience  was  out  at  "Antioch,"  M.  E.  Church 
South,  in  which  I  had  the  liberty  of  speaking. 
Spoke  again  at  night  to  a  large  concourse  of 
people,  notwithstanding  the  extreme  cold.  The 
people  seemed  interested,  and  many  invitations 
were  given  me  to  visit  them  again,  which  I  will  do, 
the  Lord  willing,  on  my  return. 

Thursday  morning,  Feb.  3,  very  cold,  cloudy, 
and  high  winds.  I  started  at  nine  o'clock  in  the 
same  old  open  hack,  went  one  mile  over  the  rough, 
frozen  ground,  and  had  to  leave  it  at  a  blacksmith's 


292     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

shop  on  the  roadside  for  repairs.  I  mounted  a 
stage  horse,  with  his  harness  on,  and  with  my  large 
valise,  filled  with  reading  matter  before  me,  the 
driver  on  the  other  horse,  we  reached  Ashville  at 
half-past  nine  p.m.,  almost  worn  out  with  riding 
over  the  rough  snow  and  ice,  through  the  moun- 
tains, where  a  stage  could  not  go  till  it  thawed. 
During  the  day  we  passed  much  grand  scenery 
and  works  of  nature.  Winding  up  the  rapid 
French  Broad  River,  we  passed  under  many  rugged 
rocks.  Just  after  passing  the  celebrated  Warm 
Springs,  we  passed  through  a  narrow  place  be- 
tween the  river  and  the  long-fabled  ''lover's  leap." 
It  is  a  huge  and  almost  shapeless  rock,  towering 
two  hundred  feet  or  more  over  the  bosom  of  the 
swiftly  rolling  river.  About  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  from  the  water,  in  yellow  paint,  are  the  words 
"J.  C.  Smith,  1843."  I  was  astonished;  and  can 
not  tell  how  any  human  being  ever  painted  it 
there. 

In  Ashville  Bro.  W.  P.  Blair,  proprietor  of  the 
stage  lines,  kindly  refunded  half  of  my  stage  fare 
for  riding  on  horseback.  Left  Ashville  Friday,  the 
4th,  in  the  stage  with  Bro.  J.  H.  Mills,  former  edi- 
tor of  the  Baptist  Recorder,  which  once  published 
a  warning  against  the  dangers  of  Adventism.  I 
had  a  pleasant  time  with  him  on  theology,  while 
being  bumped  and  jolted  and  shaken  down  in  the 
stage  through  the  mountains  to  Old  Fort,  where 
we  arrived  at  ten  p.m.,  almost  frozen. 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1875   AND    1876.  293 

Saturday,  Feb.  5,  took  the  train  for  Morganton, 
still  in  company  with  Bro.  Mills,  also  Col.  S.  McD. 
Tate,  the  President  of  this  Western  N.  C.  R.  R. 
We  had  a  pleasant  time  till  at  a  station  a  gentle- 
man came  into  the  car,  and  Bro.  Mills  introduced 
him  as  Rev.  Mr.  Talker,  and  said  he  could  talk  to 
me  on  the  Bible.     Bro.  Talker  is  a  Methodist  minis- 
ter, who  I  found  had  so  much  zeal  for  his  views 
that   he  would   neither  "give   nor  ask  quarters." 
He  said  he  had  heard  how  I  carried  things  "  rough- 
shod "  with  Bro.  Drivehimout  and  others,  in  Cald- 
well Co.,  but  I  could  not  run  over  him  that  way. 
His  eye  showed  irritation.      I  told  him  I  proposed 
to  be  a  Christian,  and  they  (Christians)  did  not  run 
over  things  "roughshod,"  but  always  worked  with 
the  mild  spirit  of  Jesus.     He  challenged  me  for  a 
debate,  and  began  to  take  the  position  that   Paul 
taught  the  immortality  of  the  soul  by  "  this  earthly 
house  of   our   tabernacle."     I  began   to  ask  him 
questions    about    the     distinction     between     the 
"earthly  house"  and  the  "tabernacle,"  when  evi- 
dently seeing  the   absurdity  of  having  an  empty 
house   in  heaven  at  the  resurrection   of    this  old 
body,  he  turned  very   abruptly  and    left  the  car, 
saying  as  he  went,  "  Well,  I  will  end  the  conver- 
sation with    one    not  worthy  to   talk    to    me."     I 
thanked  him  kindly  as  he  went.     I  accepted  his 
challenge,    and    wrote    him,   after   consulting   my 
brethren,  to  come  on  the  14th. 


294     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

In  Morganton  I  met  Bro.  D.  D.  Coffey,  who  had 
come  sixteen  miles  on  horseback  to  meet  me.  We 
reached  his  house  just  at  dark,  took  supper,  and  then 
with  Sr.  Coffey,  his  wife,  we  rode  by  the  dim  light 
of  the  moon  through  snow  and  ice  to  Bro.  Henry 
Coffey's,  where  we  had  a  good  time  with  several 
of  the  brethren  and  sisters  who  met  me  there.  It 
gave  me  pleasure  to  hear  them  tell  how  the  Lord 
had  brought  them  through  tribulation  since  I  left 
them  in  September.  Sunday,  the  6th,  spent  the 
day  with  Bro.  Israel  Coffey  and  wife,  also  Bro. 
O.  F.  Goodwin  and  Sr.  Hutchinson,  who  all  live 
in  the  same  house.  I  received  here  by  a  mes- 
senger a  proposition  from  Bro.  D.  C.  Harmon 
{Baptist)  to  debate,  in  Wautauga  Co. 

Monday,  a.m.,  I  started  with  Bro.  Goodwin  and 
rode  twenty  miles  to  Blowing  Rock,  in  Wautauga 
Co.,  and  stayed  with  Bro.  Nelson,  a  minister  of  the 
Baptist  Church.  He  and  his  good  wife  love  the 
truth,  and  by  every  possible  way  made  us  feel 
welcome  ;  and  really  we  felt  at  home,  and  enjoyed 
their  hospitality.  The  people  were  so  anxious  for 
the  debate,  that  a  Baptist  brother  started  at  twelve 
o'clock  at  night  on  horseback  after  Bro.  Harmon 
to  come  and  meet  the  Adventist.  Tuesday,  at 
three  p.m.,  spoke  in  the  dwelling  of  Bro.  William 
M.  Morris. 

Wednesday,  the  9th,  spoke  at  the  dwelling  of 
Bro.  Sherrill. 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1875   AND    1876.  295 

May  God  bless  all  the  dear  brethren  and  sisters 
in  Wautauga  Co.  who  love  the  truth,  and  have 
lavished  so  much  kindness  on  his  unworthy  ser- 
vant !  Friday,  the  nth,  spent  the  day  in  debate 
with  Bro.  D.  C.  Harmon,  Moderator  of  Three 
Forks  Baptist  Association.  Had  a  pleasant  dis- 
cussion, and  feel  thankful  that  it  was  conducted  in 
a  kind  spirit,  and  not  a  harsh  word  during  the  day. 
At  night  rode  down  the  mountain  with  Bro.  Elijah 
Moore,  fifteen  miles,  to  his  home,  where  we  arrived 
at  eight  p.m.,  having  come  the  last  four  miles  in  a 
heavy  rain,  and  so  dark  I  had  to  call  out  occasion- 
ally to  learn  whether  I  was  following  Bro.  Moore, 
whose  mule  would  go  home.  Thank  the  Lord,  we 
reached  there  in  safety,  and  with  the  kind,  motherly 
attention  of  Sr.  Moore,  we  soon  forgot  the  rain- 
storm, and  went  to  bed  with  a  severe  headache 
from  the  hard  day's  work  in  debate.  Thursday, 
the  loth,  I  tried  to  preach  at  eleven  a.m.  in  the 
dwelling  of  Bro.  John  Estes,  a  Baptist  brother. 
Meetings  increased  in  interest. 

J.  A.  Cargile. 

Lenoir,  A'.C,  February,  1876. 

NOTES  BY  THE  WAY  IN  NORTH 
CAROLINA.  — No.  2. 

Saturday,  12th,  and  Sunday,  13th,  we  spoke  at 
our  "  Berean  "  Church,  on  John's  River,  in  Cald- 
well  Co.     During   the    mornino:  service    on   Sun- 


296     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.   CARGILE. 

day  there  came  a  terrible  rainstorm,  which  kept 
the  congregation  from  leaving  at  the  close.  Twenty 
or  thirty  minutes  after  I  had  finished  my  talk  on 
the  "  authenticity  of  God's  word,"  several  came 
and  said  that  as  the  people  could  not  go,  I  would 
better  preach  again,  which  I  tried  to  do,  and  en- 
deavored to  hold  up  Christ  as  the  Redeemer. 

Sunday  night,  social  meeting  at  Bro.  D.  D. 
Coffey's.  A  few  spoke,  but  no  one  would  pray. 
In  this  country  the  minister  does  all  the  work,  and 
the  church  seems  willing  to  allow  it.  But  I  am 
working  hard  to  get  our  brethren  and  sisters  to 
work,  and  rejoice  that  I  have  some  encouragement 
to  push  the  battle  in  the  name  of  the  Lord. 

Monday,  14th,  went  to  the  church  to  meet  a  Bro. 
Talker  in  debate  who  had  challenged  me,  but  he 
failed  to  come,  and  we  had  a  blessed  meeting. 
Eight  came  forward  for  prayer,  and  we  all  rejoiced 
that  the  debater  did  not  come.  It  seemed  as  if  the 
Holy  Ghost  had  settled  right  down  upon  us,  and  all 
seemed  to  feel  that  God  had  begun  to  work.  At 
night,  at  the  dwelling  of  Bro.  Henry  Coffey,  six- 
teen gave  testimony,  voluntarily  taking  the  cross, 
and  we  did  indeed  sit  together  in  a  heavenly  place 
in  Christ. 

Tuesday,  15th,  spoke  at  eleven  a.m.  Seventeen 
came  for  prayer,  and  all  were  blest.  At  two  p.m., 
spoke  again.  Thirteen  came  for  prayer,  one  joined 
the  church,  and  three  came  for  baptism.     To  Mor- 


EXPERIENCES   IN    1875   AND    1876.  297 

ganton  next  day  to  meet  an  appointment  left  there 
some  time  ago  by  special  request.  Spoke  at  night 
in  the  courthouse  to  a  few  men  ;  no  ladies  out. 
A  drunken  man  called  me  a  liar  and  interrupted 
me  very  much  by  speaking  to  me  repeatedly,  and 
others  sat  in  the  audience  and  smoked  cigars.  I 
went  to  a  hotel,  paid  $2.50  for  lodging,  and  found 
that  the  village  paper,  The  Blue  Ridge  Blade,  had 
published  my  meeting  as  follows  :  — 

"  The  Adventists  are  making  considerable  head- 
way in  the  upper  edge  of  Burke  and  in  Mitchell 
and  Wautauga  Counties.  We  are  to  have  them 
here  the  i6th.  They  preach  that  the  wicked  will 
be  annihilated,  like  a  horse  or  a  cow,  and  that  hell 
is  all  a  humbug.     Let  'em  wait  and  see." 

With  such  misrepresentations  from  the  editor, 
it  is  not  strange  that  the  servant  of  God  should 
receive  cold  shoulders.  Thursday,  17th,  I  called 
for  my  mule,  and  rode  about  twenty  miles  to  Bro. 
Charles  Coffey's,  the  community  where  the  Baptist 
Church,  called  Lower  Creek,  allowed  me  so  much 
room  to  preach  out-doors  last  September.  Bro. 
Coffey  and  family  received  me  kindly,  and  bade 
me  a  hearty  welcome,  which  was  appreciated,  like 
health  to  a  sick  man,  after  the  cool  treatment  I 
had  received  in  Morganton. 

Friday,  i8th,  spent  the  day  writing  and  study- 
ing;  the  first  rest  I  have  enjoyed  since  I  began 
my  labor  here.     At  night,  spoke  at  the  dwelling  of 


298      AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.   CAKGILE. 

Bro.  James  Hartley.  Saturday,  19th,  spoke  out- 
of-doors,  one  mile  from  Bro.  Hartley's,  to  an  atten- 
tive crowd.  Social  meeting  at  night  at  Bro.  Charles 
Coffey's  ;  a  good  time.  Sunday,  20th,  spoke  out- 
doors at  Cottrell's  schoolhouse,  where  we  had  good 
attention  during  three  discourses.  Here  is  the 
place  where  they  shut  me  out  last  fall  to  keep  out 
the  heresy.  But  truth,  like  water,  must  have  its 
way,  and  it  has  found  its  way  into  the  church,  and 
several  have  taken  a  bold  stand  for  it,  which  is 
causing  some  trouble.  The  following  is  a  letter 
to  them  by  a  sister  who  had  broken  ranks  and 
come  over  to  "the  Adventists,"  leaving  a  mother 
and  sister  in  the  Baptist  Church  :  — 

"To  THE  Lower  Creek  Church, 

Brn.  and  Srs.  :  —  In  answer  to  the  allegation  of 
last  Church  Conference,  in  view  of  the  discord  now 
threatening  this  church,  I  gave  my  name  to  the 
Advent  Church,  but,  after  reflection,  decided  to 
remain  in  this  one.  I  loved  the  Baptist  Church  in 
its  original  union  and  purity.  I  love  her  cause. 
I  love  every  principle  that  distinguished  her  from 
other  denominations,  and  I  claim  her  fellowship. 

As  to  the  doctrine  for  which  I  am  brought  in 
question,  I  beg  leave  to  submit  the  following  :  I 
believe  the  Bible.  I  believe  it  was  given  by  In- 
spiration. I  believe  it  is  our  guide  from  earth  to 
heaven.     I  believe  it  requires  man  to   search  its 


EXPERIENCES    IN   1875    AND    1876.  299 

records,  (i)  I  believe  the  Bible  teaches  the  mor- 
tality of  soul  and  body.  (2)  I  believe  it  teaches 
the  unconsciousness  of  the  soul  from  death  to  the 
sound  of  the  resurrection  trump.  (3)  I  believe  it 
teaches  immortality  for  the  saints  through  Christ, 
after  the  resurrection  and  judgment.  (4)  That  it 
teaches  the  righteous  will  be  rewarded  with  ever- 
lasting life  in  happiness.  (5)  That  it  teaches  the 
wicked  will  be  punished  with  eternal  death.  If 
these  views  are  in  harmony  with  Baptist  faith, 
I  am  with  you  ;  if  they  are  obnoxious  to  a  few 
sticklers  for  rigid  discipline,  I  abide  your  decision. 
I  remain  yours  with  respect, 

C.  J.  E.  C ." 

N 

The  church,  evidently  seeing  that  they  could 
not  exclude  Sr.  C according  to  the  Bible,  re- 
alized that  a  law  must  be  enacted  to  take  cogni- 
zance of  such  cases,  and  then  deal  with  her  under 
this  new  law.  Accordingly,  the  following  resolu- 
tions were  adopted,  and  Sr.  C excluded  under 

them  ;  viz.  :  — 

"  Resolved,  That  we  offer  our  unqualified  con- 
demnation of  that  system  of  doctrine  which  denies 
the  immortality  of  the  soul  and  the  eternal  duration 
of  future  punishment,  as  contrary  to  the  faith  of 
this  church  ever  since  its  organization,  and  con- 
trary to  the  faith  of  the  Baptists  in  all  ages. 

Resolved,  That  if  any  member  of  this  church 


300       AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

shall  persist  in  teaching  or  holding  those  doctrines, 
we,  in  faithfulness  to  our  principles,  will  at  once 
withdraw  fellowship  from  such  members." 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  truth  is  taking  such  a 
firm  hold  here  that  the  priesthood  is  becoming 
alarmed. 

Monday,  21st,  spoke  at  the  dwelling  of  Bro.  Lee 
Coffey,  whose  wife  has  been  sick  for  six  years. 
Their  son-in-law,  Bro.  Sion  J.  Sherrill,  takes  great 
interest  in  the  truth,  and  is  one  of  nearly  twenty, 
including  Bro.  Cottrell  and  family,  who  consider 
themselves  out  of  the  Baptist  Church  by  the  above 
resolutions.  It  seems  that  every  effort  to  stop  the 
truth  only  serves  to  scatter  it  more  widely.  Five 
young  brethren  have  agreed  to  hold  a  weekly 
prayer-meeting  here.  I  praise  God  for  it,  and  pray 
that  he  will  help  them  to  keep  it  up.  Monday 
night,  had  a  social  meeting  at  Bro.  James  Hartley's. 
Tuesday  evening,  spoke  at  Bro.  Joel  Crisp's. 
Wednesday,  rode  to  Bro.  Patterson  Coffey's,  where 
I  was  permitted  last  summer  to  preach  my  first 
sermon  in  North  Carolina.  Bro.  Goodwin  came 
at  night,  and  we  had  a  pleasant  time  and  enjoyed 
the  hospitality  of  Bro.  and  Sr.  Coffey,  who  belong 
to  the  Baptist  Church,  but  treated  us  with  great 
kindness. 

Thursday,  rode  to  Bro.  Elijah  Moore's,  who  with 
his  good  wife  makes  me  feel  welcome.  I  believe 
it  is  one  of  the  hundred  homes  of  Mark  10 :    29, 


EXPERIENCES   IN    1875   AND    1876.  301 

30.  Bro.  Moore  has  given  his  heart  to  the  Lord, 
and  is  one  of  thirteen  to  follow  him  in  baptism 
before  the  meeting  closes.  Friday  I  suffered  much 
uneasiness  on  account  of  my  loved  ones  at  home, 
and  I  prayed  nearly  all  night  for  God  to  give  me 
victory,  and  prepare  me  for  the  duties  before  me, 
and  I  obtained  it.  Oh,  praise  his  holy  name  ! 
Saturday,  spoke  at  the  church,  and  at  night  spoke 
at  Bro.  Israel  Coffey's,  where  we  had  a  precious 
social  meeting. 

Dear  brethren,  these  social  meetings  are  new  to 
the  people  here,  but  this  night  made  me  almost 
imagine  myself  at  camp-meeting.  There  were  sev- 
eral prayers  and  many  voluntary  testimonies  for 
Jesus.  Oh,  bless  his  dear  name  for  his  blessings 
on  our  feeble  labors. 

Sunday,  27th,  spoke  at  the  church,  where  it  was 
said  there  were  one  thousand  people  assembled. 
I  had  to  stand  in  the  door  and  speak  to  the  peo- 
ple in  the  house  and  in  the  churchyard  also.  We 
then  repaired  to  the  water,  where  I  buried  thirteen 
who  desire  to  be  ready  for  the  Master's  coming. 
May  God  keep  them  !  In  the  afternoon,  fourteen 
joined  the  church,  and  we  then  gathered  around 
the  table  of  the  Lord,  to  show  the  death  of  our 
precious  Saviour.  I  saw  a  Methodist  and  a  Bap- 
tist brother  come  to  the  table  together,  and  I  did 
praise  God  that  sectarian  walls  are  tumbling  down. 
I  then  bade  adieu  for  the  present  to  the    many 


302      AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN    A.    CARCHLE- 

precious  ones,  and  started  for  home.  Stopped  at 
Bro.  Scims,  in  Madison  Co.,  N.  C,  and  preached 
twice,  where  I  had  spoken  on  my  way  out.  I 
reached  home  Friday,  March  3,  at  1.30  a.m.  Found 
all  well,  and  do  feel  to  give  God  the  glory  for  his 
goodness  to  my  dear  wife  and  children. 

I  left  home  on  the  28th  of  January,  and  have 
rode  hundreds  of  miles  onlrains,  in  stages,  wagons, 
on  horseback,  and  partly  on  foot  through  the 
mountains  on  my  way  to  Ashville,  and  have  tried 
to  preach  and  hold  social  meetings  thirty-four 
times  ;  debated  one  day  ;  but,  better  than  all,  have 
seen  several  start  for  the  kingdom  of  God.  I 
realize  more  and  more  every  day  the  great  need 
of  being  wholly  the  Lord's,  and  I  do  regret  the 
low  state  of  the  churches  ;  but  I  rejoice  that  here 
and  there  are  some  noble  exceptions.  I  still  feel 
encouraged  to  push  on  till  the  kingdom  comes. 
Pray  for  me,  that  God  will  help  me  to  stay  on  the 
walls  till  the  Master  comes.  Thanks  to  the  dear 
ones  whose  help  was  received  by  my  wife  in  my 
absence.  Also  the  friends  in  North  Carolina  for 
their  kindness  to  me.  Love  to  the  saints. 
Yours  in  the  Lord. 

J.   A.   C.\RGILE." 

Stevenson,  Ala.,  March  3,  1S76. 

In    May    (1876)    I    went    again    to    Cherokee 
Co.,    Ala.,    crossed   Sand   Mountain   and   the  war- 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1875   ^^D    1876.  303 

famed  Lookout  on  horseback,  Bro.  Bankson  having 
brought  a  horse  to  Valley  Head  to  meet  me.  We 
rode  thirty  miles  to  his  home  in  half  a  day,  or 
from  two  to  ten  p.m.  Here  the  brethren  had  built 
a  new  chapel  on  Spring  Creek,  since  the  difference 
with  the  Baptists.  After  preaching  four  times, 
I  formed  a  church  with  nineteen  members,  who 
had  been  excluded  from  the  popular  churches  for 
believing  the  truth  Then  Bro.  Bankson  took  me 
sixteen  miles  further,  where  I  preached  in  Bro. 
Mackey's  house.  There  I  first  met  dear  old  Bro. 
Hood.  I  helped  Bro.  Bankson  hoe  his  cotton,  so 
he  could  go  with  me.  Went  home  with  Bro.  Hood. 
The  church  shut  against  us,  I  preached  under 
some  nice  oak-trees.  Some  sat  on  logs  and  chairs, 
and  others  on  the  ground,  while  I  gave  them  the 
food  fresh  from  Father's  store.  Bro.  Hood  took 
me  eleven  miles  further  to  Gadsden,  where  I 
preached  in  the  courthouse.  I  left  home  with 
only  one  dollar,  and  sold  two  hymn-books,  and 
traveled  over  a  hundred  miles,  and  preached  six- 
teen times  in  eleven  days.  My  expenses  were 
nothing,  for  I  walked  the  first  thirty  miles,  and 
the  people  furnished  me  horse  and  saddle  free  for 
the  rest  of  the  journey.  I  was  all  tired  out  before 
I  started,  having  just  returned  from  meetings  in 
Bridgeport,  and  near  Fackler  and  Shiloh  Church, 
in  Ala.,  and  Ooltewah  and  Cowan,  in  Tenn. 


304     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 


NOTES  BY  THE  WAY  IN  NORTH 

ALABAMA. —No  2. 

My  last  left  me  (May  24,  I  believe)  at  Gadsden, 
resting  in  the  pleasant  home  of  General  Turren- 
tine.  In  the  evening  a  heavy  rain  and  thunder 
cloud  kept  many  away ;  but  a  few  came  out,  and 
I  spoke  in  the  courthouse  (the  churches  not  being 
offered  us).  Thursday,  25th,  the  rain  again  kept 
the  people  away,  save  a  few  ;  but  I  tried  to  tell 
that  few  that  the  Master  is  coming.  The  town 
was  thickly  posted  with  handbills  for  a  concert  in 
a  popular  church  on  the  night  of  the  26th,  with 
the  following  words  :  "  Vocal  and  instrumental 
music,  operatic  pieces,  etc."  Said  Jesus,  "  It  is 
written.  My  house  shall  be  called  the  house  of 
prayer  ;  but  ye  have  made  it  a  den  of  thieves." 
So,  thought  I,  your  house  is  too  good  for  "  the 
soul  sleeper  "  to  preach  in,  but  you  can  open  it  for 
"  operatic  pieces  "  and  "  tables  of  money  changers." 
But  I  verily  believe,  and  tried  to  faithfully  tell 
those  people,  that  Jesus  is  soon  coming,  and  that 
he  will  overthrow  "  the  tables  of  the  money 
changers,"  and  cast  out  the  traders. 

Friday  morning,  26th,  Bro.  Hood  and  myself 
started  for  Lebanon  Church  in  Coat's  Bend  of 
Coosa  River,  to  meet  at  night  in  a  schoolhouse. 
The    rain    stopped    us,    and    we    stayed    at    Bro. 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1S75   ^^'1^    '876.  305 

Matthew  Turner's  till  morning.  Soon  after  we 
stopped,  another  heavy  rain  fell,  which  continued 
till  near  midnight  ;  but  notwithstanding  the  rain, 
Bro.  Turner  soon  gathered  in  the  neighbors,  and 
we. had  a  pleasant  little  meeting.  Here  I  met  Bro. 
Joseph  B.  Turner,  another  Baptist  minister  who 
has  embraced  the  truth,  and  loves  it  dearly. 

Saturday  and  Sunday  we  enjoyed  a  blessed 
season  at  the  church,  where  we  met  also  Bro. 
Hodges,  another  minister  who  loves  these  truths. 
The  audience  was  large  Sunday  a.m.,  and  we  had 
indeed  a  precious  season.  Christians  of  all  sects 
seemed  to  rejoice  at  the  nearness  of  the  Lord's 
coming.  So  mightily  did  God's  Spirit  work,  that 
the  woods  were  made  to  resound  with  many  loud 
hallelujahs  of  happy  souls.  After  closing  the 
meeting  at  five  p.m.,  we  rode  five  miles  to  Bro. 
Hood's  home,  where,  at  eight  p.m.,  I  spoke  again 
to  a  large  crowd,  who  sat  in  the  dooryard,  while 
I  stood  in  the  porch. 

Monday,  29th,  rode  with  Bro.  Hood  back  to 
Mother  Bankson's  on  Spring  Creek,  about  twenty 
miles.  Met  the  church  at  night,  and  tried  to 
preach  again.  Tuesday,  May  30,  by  invitation 
Brn.  Hood  and  S.  O.  Bankson  went  with  me  to 
the  beautifully  located  village  of  Cedar  Bluff,  where 
I  had  been  invited  to  send  an  appointment.  Here 
is  where  Bro.  Livingston  had  been  excluded  for 
heresy,   and   of    course  the   high  priests  did    not 


306     AUTOBIOGRAPPIY    OF  JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

wish  any  further  trouble.  So  the  Baptists  and 
Methodists  did  not  allow  me  the  use  of  their 
house ;  but,  instead  of  stopping  the  heretic,  it 
only  gave  me  more  room  in  the  open  air,  on  the 
street,  under  the  shade  of  a  "sycamore"  tree. 
I  tried  in  my  weakness  to  give  those  who  came 
the  teaching  of  the  Bible  on  the  hope  of  eternal 
life.  At  the  close,  a  Bro.  Stone  asked  a  question 
in  regard  to  future  punishment,  saying  that  it  had 
been  reported  that  I  did  "not  believe  in  future 
rewards  and  punishments."  The  answer  soon 
satisfied  him,  and  I  left  him  giving  the  village 
church-members  some  plain  talk  about  their  self- 
ishness. I  have  had  the  honor  (i*)  of  preaching 
on  the  streets  of  Washington  City  and  Cedar 
Bluff,  Ala. 

Here  we  parted  with  our  dear  Bro.  Hood,  and 
in  company  with  Bro.  Bankson  rode  for  Galesville, 
where  we  arrived  in  due  time  for  the  evening 
service,  having  been  overtaken  by  a  heavy  rain  on 
the  road,  and  getting  pretty  wet.  We  found  a 
resting-place  in  the  family  of  Dr.  Lawrence,  who 
had  kindly  invited  me  to  visit  the  village,  but  who 
says  he  believes  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul. 
I  asked  him  if  it  was  true  that  mind  is  the  result 
of  an  active  brain  .''  He  said  yes,  the  brain  is  as 
a  musical  instrument  upon  which  the  soul  played, 
and  the  mind  is  the  result,  as  the  tune  or  sound 
of  the  musician  playing  on  an  instrument.     "Very 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1875   AND    1876.  307 

well,"  said  I  ;  "  after  the  brain  is  dead,  what  does 
the  soul  act  on  to  produce  mind  ?  "  After  a  mo- 
ment's reflection,  he  very  candidly  replied,  "  Noth- 
ing." He  opened  his  chapel,  and  furnished  lights, 
and  I  tried  to  tell  the  attentive  crowd  about  the 
incorruptible  inheritance.  I'hen  I  rode  that  night 
four  miles  to  Bro.  Livingston's,  and  stayed  until 
morning.  Wednesday,  31st,  met  at  the  church, 
where  I  tried  to  preach  on  Christianity,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  newly  organized  band.  Then  elected 
church  officers,  and  at  the  close  gathered  around 
the  table  to  show  forth  the  Lord's  death.  Took 
dinner  with  Bro.  Lewis  Blackwell ;  and  in  his 
wagon,  with  himself  and  four  others,  we  rode  to 
Sprout  Spring,  to  meet  a  night  appointment.  It 
rained  just  at  dark,  but  a  house  full  came  to  hear. 
Thursday,  June  i,  at  McGeehee's  chapel.  Spoke 
to  a  few.  On  account  of  so  much  rain,  others 
stayed  away.     At  night  a  good  crowd  came  out ; 

among  them  the  circuit  rider,   Bro.    L ,  who 

replied  to  my  remarks  on  the  state  of  the  dead. 
I  then  replied  to  his  assertions,  and  proposed  to 
give  a  hundred  dollars  for  one  passage  proving 
his  assertion  that  men  die  and  go  to  heaven. 
Meeting  closed  with  good  feeling  ;  and  I  am  sure 
the  people  in  that  place  will  read  their  Bibles  with 
new  light.  Bro.  Livingston  and  myself  stayed 
with  Bro.  Frank  Thompson,  who  brought  us  across 
Lookout  Mountain  to  Valley  Head,  a  distance  of 


308      AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

twenty-five  miles.  At  this  place  we  had  expected 
to  walk  to  our  appointment,  but  Major  A.  Lee 
kindly  met  us  with  a  hack,  and  conveyed  us  out 
to  his  house  for  dinner ;  then  to  Bro.  Beene's  for 
supper ;  and  before  we  had  expected,  —  in  fact, 
before  sunset,  —  people  began  to  gather  from  all 
directions  :  and  by  candle-lighting  the  church  was 
jammed,  and  many  had  to  stay  outside.  The 
people  seemed  interested.  When  meeting  closed, 
we  started  for  Cousin  William  Lee's,  and  when 
within  two  miles  of  his  house,  a  heavy  rain  began 
which  gave  us  a  complete  wetting.  This  is  Bro, 
Livingston's  first  tour  in  preaching  our  views,  and 
so  far  it  has  been  pretty  rough  initiation  ;  but 
nothing  strange  for  me  to  undergo  for  the  truth, 
which  is  dearer  to  me  than  life.  We  changed 
clothes,  and  retired  about  midnight. 

Saturday,  a.m.,  we  ascended  Sand  Mountain  to 
Crow's  Church,  where  I  had  spoken  on  my  way 
out.  Met  a  very  attentive  crowd,  and  tried  to 
preach.  We  then  went  to  the  water,  where  I 
buried  two  in  baptism.  At  night  Bro.  Livingston 
spoke  vi^ith  much  interest.  Sunday,  a.m.,  still 
further  on  the  mountain  to  Pea  Ridge,  where  we 
met  an  unusually  large  crowd  for  that  place.  They 
gave  ^ood  attention  while  we  tried  to  prove  Jesus 
at  the  door.  Sunday  evening,  at  Bro.  Painter's 
church  (Methodist),  Bro.  Livingston  preached 
with  the  power  of  the  Spirit  to  a  very  large  crowd. 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1875   AND    1876.  309 

while  I  suffered  extremely  with  high  fever  and 
pain  in  my  head  from  overwork,  having  been  out 
twenty-three  days,  and  preached  thirty-three  times, 
besides  traveling  in  all  about  a  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  through  the  mountains  and  valleys. 

Monday,  June  5,  Major  Lee  brought  us  to  Sul- 
phur Springs  to  meet  an  appointment,  but  the 
brother  who  requested  the  meeting  was  taken  sick 
before  reaching  home  and  died  ;  consequently,  we 
■found  no  one  expecting  us,  so  we  started  on. 
Cousin  William  Lee,  with  his  mule,  came  with  us 
to  Rising  Fawn,  Ga.  From  there  we  took  our 
baggage  on  our  backs,  and  walked  to  Bro.  Thomas 

Payne's,  where    I    am   now  writing.     Bro.   P 

is  a  Methodist  minister,  and,  with  his  amiable, 
intelligent,  and  industrious  Christian  family,  takes 
pleasure  in  making  us  both  feel  at  home,  while  we 
rest  our  weary  limbs.  I  rested  sweetly  last  night, 
and  feel  much  refreshed  this  morning.  Shall  rest 
over  here  to-day,  and  begin  meetings  again  to- 
night. I  often  sigh  for  home,  where  we  will  never 
tire.  It  seems  that  I  must  preach,  through  storm 
and  calm,  and  I  can  not  see  any  room  or  time  to 
rest  till  Jesus  comes.  I  long  to  return  to  see  my 
dear  family,  and  rest  a  few  days.  I  hope  the  dear 
saints  will  not  forget  to  pray  for  us  daily. 
Your  brother  in  tribulation, 

J.  A.  Cargile. 

Deerheud's  Cove,  Al(t.,Jimeb,  1876. 


3IO     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.   CARGILE. 

From  Bro.  Payne's  we  went  on  foot  to  Trenton 
and  Shiloh.  Bro.  Livingston  was  quite  sick,  and 
I  left  him  at  Bro.  Stevens's,  and  went  on  alone  till 
he  recovered.  Then  we  went  to  Tennessee  again, 
and  the  Lord  was  with  us  in  power.  On  this 
whole  trip  of  over  one  month  I  did  not  receive 
over  five  dollars.  We  returned  to  my  home,  and 
rested  a  few  days.  Then  with  my  family,  Bro. 
and  Sr.  Carlton  and  Sr.  Chandler,  fifteen  in  all, 
we  started  with  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  wagon,  and 
my  little  mule  Paddy  ;  twenty  miles  to  Shiloh. 
We  crossed  the  river  and  ascended  Sand  Moun- 
tain, and  reached  our  destination  at  ten  o'clock  at 
night. 

We  had  a  glorious  meeting,  where  twenty  were 
converted.  Ministers  of  other  churches  helped  us. 
Eld.  J.  J.  Smith  was  with  us  also.  I  then  returned 
with  my  family,  and  rested  one  night  at  home  ; 
and  next  day  went  to  Goose  Pond  and  Pleasant 
Hill,  and  preached  a  week.  Bro.  P.  C.  Word,  then 
a  Presbyterian,  was  with  me.  On  my  way  home 
I  came  to  Mud  Creek,  in  which  I  baptized  Bro. 
A.  J.  Armstrong  about  six  o'clock  in  the  evening. 
Preached  at  night  in  the  Baker  Schoolhouse. 
July  28,  in  my  humble  home,  we  organized  the 
Southern  A.  C.  Conference  with  twelve  Advent 
ministers.  What  a  change  in  three  years  !  Glory 
to  God !  In  August  I  attended  the  eastern  camp- 
meetings  again.     On  my  return  I  left  the  cars  at 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1S75   AND    1876.  311 

Johnson  City,  Tenn.,  where  Bro.  Moore  met  me  to 
take  me  over  the  ninety  miles'  journey  through 
the  mountains  to  North  Carolina  again.  Here  I 
found  a  letter  from  my  dear  wife,  telling  me  she 
was  sick.  That  was  a  trying  time  for  me.  I 
prayed  nearly  all  night,  and  felt  it  duty  to  leave 
her  in  the  hands  of  God  and  go  on,  which  I  did. 

We  started  at  eight  a.m.,  and  drove  hard  through 
the  mountains  till  near  dark,  when  we  called  at  a 
house  to  stay  over  night  ;  but  they  turned  us  away. 
We  drove  till  nine  o'clock,  passing  through  deep 
hollows  and  narrow  gorges,  where  it  was  so  dark 
we  could  not  see  our  team  or  the  road  only  by  the 
occasional  flashes  of  the  vivid  lightning,  for  which 
we  were  thankful.  Finally,  a  good  Baptist  brother 
took  us  in,  and  we  found  that  we  had  traveled 
forty-one  miles  that  day. 

I  remained  in  North  Carolina  one  month,  during 
which  I  preached  about  thirty-five  times,  and  God 
blessed  my  labor  in  the  conversion  of  souls.  I 
found  Brn.  G.  D.  Sherrill  and  T.  F.  Nelson  boldly 
preaching  the  truth.  October  was  filled  with  the 
work  in  Alabama,  Tennessee,  and  Georgia.  Bro. 
S.  P.  Hayward,  from  Pepperell,  Mass.,  came  to 
help  me.  We  were  then  struggling  to  build  Cedar 
Grove  Chapel. 

Nov.  14,  at  night,  Bro.  James  Anderson,  a 
young  Methodist  brother,  preached  in  my  cottage 
home,  and   I   started  at  midnight   for  Arkansas. 


312      AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN    A.    CARGH.E. 

Preached  in  De  View  on  Sunday,  the  19th  ;  Mon- 
day rode  through  the  swamps,  and  preached  at 
night  at  Beard's  Church.  I  remained  on  the 
preachers'  battle-ground  till  Nov.  27,  when  I  went 
to  Newport,  in  Jackson  Co.,  and  delivered  the 
first  sermon  of  our  faith  they  ever  heard ;  and 
they  listened  well.  I  have  spoken  about  twelve 
times  in  Woodruff  Co.  since  the  19th.  From 
Newport  I  took  train  for  Sebastian  Co.  Walked 
out  ten  miles  from  Fort  Smith,  and  begun  meet- 
ings in  the  neighborhood  of  Bro.  J.  A.  McAllis- 
ter, a  Baptist  minister,  Dec.  2.  In  twelve  days 
I  preached  twenty-two  discourses,  held  six  social 
meetings.  Several  backsliders  started  anew,  and 
some  were  converted.  Many  came  for  prayers. 
The  ice  was  broken,  where  I  buried  willing  ones 
in  the  chilly  wave. 

This  closed  1876,  during  which  I  traveled  n'early 
seven  thousand  miles,  preached  over  three  hundred 
times,  saw  nearly  as  many  converted,  and  had  the 
happy  privilege  of  baptizing  near  a  hundred.  My 
expenses  for  traveling  and  family  supplies  were 
$666.50  ;  my  receipts  for  the  year,  $659.  The  pre- 
vious year  I  fell  short  over  $200.  I  had  several 
hemorrhages  during  the  year,  but  my  zeal  contin- 
ued to  increase  as  I  saw  truth  gaining. 

In  Newport,  Ark.,  I  met  in  a  store  a  stranger 
from  Missouri.  We  began  to  talk  on  baptism. 
Becoming   convinced  that    I   was    right,   he   said, 


EXPERIENCES   IN    1875   AND    1876.  313 

"White  River  is  close  by;  what  doth  hinder?" 
I  said,  "  Let  us  go."  We  went  through  the  cane 
and  forest  to  the  river,  which  was  ice  at  the  banks  ; 
we  bowed  together  in  prayer,  and  I  then  baptized 
him  where  none  but  God  saw  us  ;  we  were  blessed. 
As  we  came  back  to  town  he  gave  me  two  dollars. 
I  calculated  to  leave  at  four  p.m.,  but  my  train  was 
delayed  till  ten  that  night.  About  ten  minutes 
before  it  arrived,  standing  in  the  crowded  depot, 
suddenly  I  felt  a  hand  at  my  vest  pocket.  Look- 
ing quickly,  I  saw  the  man  I  had  baptized  turning 
away  from  me  in  tears.  As  he  caught  my  eye  he 
said,  "  There,  that  is  yours  ;  I  felt  that  I  ought  to 
give  it  to  you  as  we  came  from  the  water,  but  I 
did  not.  I  have  been  to  bed,  but  could  not  go  to 
sleep ;  and  I  am  glad  you  did  not  get  away  before 
now."  He  darted  out  of  the  room.  On  examina- 
tion I  found  that  he  had  deposited  ten  dollars  more 
in  my  pocket.  I  then  praised  the  Lord  that  the 
train  was  late,  for  I  was  very  short  of  money. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  DREAMER  AND  HIS  DREAM. 

In  1877  I  returned  from  North  Carolina  and 
rested  a  few  days.  I  went  to  Cowan,  Tenn.,  where 
I  was  engaged  in  a  very  interesting  meeting. 

One  day,  while  in  the  office  of  Bro.  Stewart, 
the  railroad  agent,  I  received  a  letter  from  the  old 
Tar  Heel  State,  and  in  it  a  dream,  which  had  been 
clipped  from  one  of  their  county  papers. 

I  asked  the  agent  for  writing-paper,  and  he  gave 
me  some  railroad  bill-paper.  Seated  at  his  desk, 
as  soon  as  I  had  read  the  dream,  I  wrote  a  tract, 
the  title  of  which  is,  "  A  Wonderful  Dreamer." 
I  went  to  Scottsboro,  Ala>,  and  had  five  hundred 
copies  of  eight  pages  printed,  and  sent  the 
"  Dreamer "  some  of  them,  which  called  forth 
another  article  in  the  same  paper  some  time  after- 
ward, in  which  it  seems  that  the  young  man  had 
been  misrepresented  to  me.  When  the  messenger 
came  up-stairs,  at  Bro.  D.  D.  Coffey's,  he  informed 
me,  if  I  remember  correctly,  —  now  fourteen  years 
after, —  that  the  young  gentleman  below  was  the 
President  of College.  I  now  give  the  pam- 
phlet entire,  except  the  correct  name.  It  is  as  fol- 
lows :  — 


THE   NORTH   CAROLINA    DREAMER.  315 


A   WONDERFUL    DREAMER.  . 

The  Lord  says  :  "  The  prophet  that  hath  a 
dream,  let  him  tell  a  dream,  and  he  that  hath  my 
word,  let  him  speak  my  word  faithfully."  It  is  an 
admitted  fact  that  in  meeting  opposition,  men 
"put  their  best  foot  foremost,"  or,  in  other  words, 
they  use  the  best  material  they  can  command.  If 
one  is  on  the  side  of  truth,  he  will  fly  to  the  Bible 
for  refuge,  but  when  he  has  only  dreams  to  rely 
upon,  when  his  false  position  is  assailed,  instead  of 
flying  to  the  Bible  for  help,  he  at  once  takes  a 
"  snooze,''  in  order,  if  possible,  to  dream  something- 
that  will  help  him  out  of  the  difficulty,  and  he 
generally  succeeds  in  getting  out  some  kind  oL  a 
dream,  however  incredible,  "  for  a  dream  cometh 
through  the  multitude  of  business." 

Well,  once  upon  a  time,  not  necessary  to  men- 
tion, I  visited  the  old  State  of  North  Carolina  for 
no  other  purpose  than  that  of  preaching  what  I 
believed  to  be  God's  truth  in  its  simplicity.  My 
first  discourses  were  delivered  in  a  pleasant  apple- 
orchard,  on  the  waters  of  Mulberry,  in  Caldwell 
Co.  Here  opposition  showed  itself  in  a  mild 
way.  Thence  to  John's  River,  where  I  had  a  hitch 
with  the  indomitable  "  Bob  Moody,"  as  he  was 
familiarly  called.  His  chaffy  theology  could  not 
balance  with   God's  truth,  so  he  let  us  alone,  ex- 


3l6     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN    A.   CARGH.E. 

cept  a  furious  tongue-lashing  occasionally,  when 
his  zeal  for  his  creed  burned  intensely.  But  that 
did  not  hurt  anybody  but  my  dear  Bro.  Moody, 
for  whom  I  have  Christian  charity  to-day.  Next 
came  a  brother  on  the  train,  and  proposed  a  debate. 
The  time  was  set,  but  Goliath  failed  to  meet  little 
David.  After  churches  had  been  formed,  and  the 
solid  truths  of  the  Bible  taken  a  firm  hold  in  many 
good  and  honest  hearts,  our  annual  conference  set 
on  John's  River,  on  the  28th  and  29th  days  of 
July,  1877. 

I  had  heard  it  whispered  that  Professor  Allen 
was  coming  to  hear  and  upset  these  soul-sleeping 
doctrines.  On  Saturday,  the  28th,  we  met  and 
attended  to  the  business  for  the  Conference.  On 
Sunday  morning,  the  29th,  I  was  in  an  upper  room, 
deeply  engaged  with  my  subject  for  the  approach- 
ing service,  when  the  message  came  to  me  that 
the  expected  Professor  was  below.  Being  anxious 
to  meet  him,  I  hastened  down  and  received  an 
introduction  to  a  real  good-looking  young  divine, 
as  Professor  Allen.  When  I  say  he  was  really 
good  looking,  that  don't  begin  to  tell  it.  I  wish  I 
was  master  of  language  to  portray  to  the  reader's 
mind  just  how  beautifully  the  silken  locks  hung 
over  his  well-developed,  youthful-looking  forehead, 
which  bespoke  a  large  brain,  well  stored  with 
something,  but  whether  with  "chaff  or  wheat" 
remained  to  be  seen.     Really,  there  was  but  little 


THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  DREAMER.    317 

favor  between  him  and  the  bander-shanked,  red- 
whiskered,  and  snaggle-toothed  man  described  in 
his  wonderful  dream,  which  I  shall  pretty  soon 
quote  and  review. 

At  the  church,  the  renowned  young  professor 
was  provided  with  table,  chair,  paper,  and  pencil, 
in  front  of  the  stand,  where  he  seemingly  very 
carefully  noted  the  different  arguments  made  in 
support  of  our  position.  At  the  close  of  our  dis- 
course, he  said  to  me,  "  Well,  you  gave  my  Method- 
ist theology  some  hot  shot."  I  replied  with  a 
smile,  "  Oh,  well,  if  it  only  hit  your  theology,  and 
not  you,  that  is  all  right."  We  both  laughed  and 
parted.  I  expected  for  a  long  time  to  receive  a 
challenge  for  a  debate,  or  to  see  my  discourse 
entirely  torn  up  in  some  paper.  Sure  enough,  in 
October,  here  it  comes.  But  to  my  surprise,  it  is 
in  a  secular  paper,  the  Blade,  published  in  Mor- 
ganton,  Burke  Co.,  N.  C,  and  not  in  a  religious 
periodical.  How  eagerly  I  unfolded  it  and  read  the 
heading  —  "  A  Dre.am  "  —  with  inexpressible  as- 
tonishment. I  paused  with  the  question,  "  Is  that 
all  that  Professor  Allen  has  to  bring  against  my 
position  .' "  I  then  proceeded  to  read  the  wonder- 
ful dream,  thinking  that  it  was  the  very  best  the 
poor  fellow  could  get  up,  and,  if  so,  he  deserved 
some  credit,  at  least,  for  having  done  all  that  he 
could.  I  will  now  give  the  dream  verbatim  as 
published  in  the  Blade,  and  the  reader  cannot  fail 


3l8      AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

to  see  the  close  quarters  into  which  he  is  driven 
to  save  a  cherished  Egyptian  Fable.  It  is  as 
follows  :  — 

[For  the  Blade.] 

A   DREAM. 

On  the  28th  ultimo  I  was  called  upon  to  celebrate 
the  rites  of  matrimony  between  two  young  persons 
living  upon  the  waters  of  John's  River  in  Caldwell 
County.  In  the  evening,  before  the  hour  for  retiring, 
my  attention  was  called  to  the  new  doctrines  preached 
in  that  community  by  one  Rev.  J.  A.  Cargile  from  Ala- 
bama, and  an  urgent  request  was  made  that  at  some 
suitable  time  I  should  send  an  appointment  to  that 
neighborhood  and  reply  to  Mr.  Cargile's  views.  I 
retired  that  night  with  my  mind  much  absorbed  in  the 
subject  of  doctrines,  etc.,  and  I  dreamed  the  following 
dream,  which  I  give  the  Blade  as  nearly  as  I  can  recall 
the  items  :  — 

In  my  sknnber  I  was  wandering  along  the  margin  of 
a  beautifully  clear  and  rapid  stream,  when  suddenly  I 
came  upon  a  man  in  deep  and  seemingly  solemn  medi- 
tation, sitting  upon  the  bank,  with  his  head  resting 
upon  his  hand,  and  gazing  into  the  depths  of  the  lim- 
pid stream  below.  The  man  was  of  small  stature, 
intelligent  in  appearance,  with  high  forehead,  red 
whiskers  and  beard,  and  seemed  to  be  about  thirty 
years  of  age. 

Casting  my  eyes  at  the  same  moment  to  the  opposite 
bank  of  the  river,  I  espied  his  satanic  majesty,  the 
devil,  sitting  upon  his  haunches,  quite  incog,  to  my  red- 


THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  DREAMER.    319 

haired  man,  but  gazing  steadily  upon  him  with  a  pecul- 
iarly devilish  grin  upon  his  countenance  that  indicated 
perfect  satisfaction  in  the  object  of  his  contemplation. 

Suddenly  transferring  my  nightly  vision  from  the 
devil  to  the  man  of  thought,  in  a  moment  he  became 
transparent  as  glass,  and  the  working  of  his  entire 
mental  nature  became  as  plain  to  my  vision  as  the 
lineaments  of  his  corporal  being.  I  could  see  his  soul 
and  the  very  thoughts  that  flashed  from  the  center. 

The  soul  seemed  to  be  something  immaterial,  but  in 
the  form  of  a  globe  of  glass  sparkling  with  an  intense 
heat.  I  could  perceive  plainly,  too,  that  that  soul  had 
once  been  filled  with  the  divine  nature,  but  now  there 
was  a  visible  dark  center  that  darkened  all  the  rays  of 
light  that  emanated  from  it. 

The  following  were  the  musings  and  soliloquies  of 
my  red-haired  man,  which  gave  his  satanic  majesty  the 
grins  :  "  I  don't  believe  one  word  of  all  this  nonsense 
about  the  materiality  of  God  and  the  non-immortality 
of  the  human  soul.  Man  is  immortal,  I  do  know;  but 
here  is  a  good  opening  among  these  simple-hearted 
people  for  me  to  collect  together  a  large  number,  and 
get  to  myself  a  great  name.  Besides,  am  I  not  one  of 
the  elect  ?  I'll  go  to  heaven,  anyway,  no  matter  what 
I  preach.  Nor  am  I  very  sure  that  any  one  will  be 
lost.     So  I  shall  do  all  I  can  for  myself." 

When  he  had  finished  these  sentences  my  zeal 
burned  within  me,  and  I  leaped  upon  my  feet  to  chide 
this  deceitful  being ;  but  the  devil,  anticipating  my 
intention,  stepped  suddenly  before  me  and  said,  "  That 
man  is  my  most  faithful  friend   and    beloved  servant. 


320     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN    A.   CARGILE. 

Touch  him  if  you  dare,  or  confute  his  false  views,  which 
I  know  you  can,  and  calamities  dire  shall  be  your  por- 
tion. Your  fruit  trees  shall  dwindle  away  and  die ; 
your  poultry,  hens  and  all,  shall  stand  and  crow  them- 
selves into  skeletons  till  they  are  dead  ;  your  cattle 
shall  stand  and  low  day  and  night  till  each  side  shall 
collapse  to  meet  its  fellow  side  ;  your  swine  shall  raise 
a  universal  squeal  that  shall  collect  every  hog  in  the 
community  about  your  premises ;  your  dogs  shall  bark 
day  and  night  till  their  eyes  leap  out  of  their  sockets ; 
your  children  shall  go  into  a  deep  sleep  from  which  no 
earthly  powers  can  awake  them ;  your  wife  shall  elope 
with  a  long-legged,  red-headed,  snaggle-toothed  fool  ; 
and  you  yourself  shall  become  a  cripple  all  your  days 
with  chronic  rheumatism." 

With  these  remarks  his  satanic  majesty  thrust  a 
parchment  into  my  face  and  bade  me  read  the  certifi- 
cate of  commission  given  to  this  man  of  the  bank.  I 
looked  and  read  as  follows  :  — 

"  To  my  most  faithful  friend  and  servant,  greeting : 
You  are  hereby  authorized,  commissioned  and  ap- 
pointed to  preach  Materialism  to  the  simple-hearted 
people  of  Western  North  Carolina.  Fail  not,  though 
you  meet  \vith  many  and  great  discouragements.  When 
the  church  assails  you,  cry  out  persecution!  persecu- 
tion !  and  that  will  enlist  sympathy  in  your  behalf. 
Stop  not  to  consider  the  result  of  the  doctrines 
preached.  That  would  ruin  your  success.  Fail  not. 
Given  in  hell,  under  my  hand  and  seal,  without  date, 
Beelzebub,  the  Old  Serpent. 

The  Devil,  Satan." 


THE   NORTH   CAROLINA   DREAMER.  32 1 

The  above,  dear  editor,  was  my  real  dream.     It  was 

only  a  dream,  but   I  fear  there   is   much   truth   in   its 

statements.  Yours, 

Vox. 

No  doubt  the  careful  reader  will  just  here  pause 
with  wonder,  and  look  over  this  wonderful  dream 
again  to  see  if  he  can  find  one  verse  of  Scripture 
which  ought  to  be  a  preacher's  companion. 

I  will  give  but  a  brief  comment.  It  seems  that 
he  was  blessed  with  this  wonderful  dream  the 
night  before  he  saw  the  "  red-whiskered,  snaggle- 
toothed  fool."  Is  it  not  a  wonder  that  he  did  not 
•'  look  a  little  scared''  next  morning  when  he  was 
introduced  to  this  man  of  thought  so  accurately 
pictured  in  his  dream  the  night  before  }  Why 
didn't  he  look  across  the  river  for  the  devil,  to  see 
if  that  part  of  his  dream  was  true  ?  and  when  sit- 
ting before  me,  while  by  the  help  of  the  Lord  I 
gave  him  Bible  materialism,  why  in  the  name  of 
common-sense  did  he  not  rise  and  tell  this  gigantic 
dream  '>  Ah,  perhaps  he  forgot  while  working  up 
this  wonderful  composition. 

When  a  man  has  his  bread-and-butter  in  jeop- 
ardy, we  must  not  expect  him  to  be  scrupulously 
exact  in  all  he  says.  I  presume  he  fixed  up  the 
soul  to  suit  his  theory.  He  says  it  "seemed  to  be 
something  immaterial."  That  is  a  misnomer,  and 
with  all  his  learning  he  ought  to  see  it.  If  he 
knows  by  looking  at  a  soul  that   it   seems  to  be 


322     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

something  immaterial,  I  presume  he  will  take 
another  snooze,  and  then  tell  us  how  his  immate- 
rial soul  looks.  But  perhaps  his  vision  is  keener 
when  asleep,  which  enables  him  to  see  immateri- 
ality, which  is  an  invisible  nothing.  But  stop. 
He  did  not  say  positively,  but  only  said  the  soul 
seemed  to  be  something  immaterial.  Well,  if  that 
is  all  the  proof  my  brother  has  for  his  pet  dogma 
of  the  immateriality  of  the  soul,  I  do  really  pity 
him.  His  whole  theory  rests  upon  a  ''  seemcei  to 
be."  Not  a  word  of  Bible  in  his  proof.  It  really 
ought  to  cause  every  heart  to  swell  with  pity  for 
the  man  who  clings  to  such  a  sandy  foundation, 
only  to  be  popular  or  for  a  salary.  There  is  more 
hope  for  a  real  heathen  than  for  such  a  man.  He 
must  not  claim  that  his  great  love  for  truth  is  the 
cause,  for  there  is  not  a  word  of  truth  in  the  doc- 
trine of  the  immateriality  or  the  immortality  of 
the  soul.  When  Mr.  Vo.\,  or  any  other  man, 
brings  a  passage  from  the  inspired  volume,  prov- 
ing such  to  be  true,  there  is  a  reward  of  ^12,060 
offered,  which  he  can  easily  get.  If  Mr.  Vox  is 
an  honest  man  (and  I  hope  he  is),  he  will  either 
come  up  with  the  passage  and  call  for  the  money, 
or  else  he  will  forever  abandon  the  dogma  started 
by  the  devil  when  he  said  "  Ye  shall  not  surely  die." 
—  Gen.  3:  4.  He  was  the  first  immortal  soul 
preacher. 

It  sometimes  stirs  a  man  when  you  show  him 


THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  DREAMER.     T,2^ 

his  own  profile.  This,  I  hope,  will  not  be  so 
with  my  dear  Bro.  "Vox."  When  I  say  that  he 
only  continues  the  same  old  serpent's  falsehood 
when  he  preaches  the  soul  is  immortal,  or  "Ye 
shall  not  surely  die,"  —  Gen.  3,  4 — God  says, 
"The  soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die."  — Ezek.  18: 
4,  22,  30,  etc.  God  says  it  shall  die.  Mr.  Devil 
says  it  shall  not  die.  Mr.  Vox  says  it  can  not  die. 
I  wondered  greatly  why  Bro.  Allen,  being  presi- 
dent of  a  college,  and  a  professed  minister  of 
Jesus,  should  sign  Vox,  instead  of  his  name.  I 
am  sure  "the  simple-hearted  people  of  western 
North  Carolina,"  spoken  of  in  his  dream,  would 
all  know  what  A.  L.  Allen,  D.D.,  means,  but  I 
doubt  if  they  a//  know  that  the  Latin  word  Vox 
means  voice.  I  wonder  what  voice  it  is.  It  can 
not  be  the  voice  of  Jesus,  for  there  is  not  a  resem- 
blance of  the  spirit  of  Jesus  in  his  dream.  He 
dreams  that  the  red-whiskered  fool  thoitght  he 
would  "go  to  heaven  anyway."  I  simply  wish  to 
say  that  I  am  sure  that  part  of  his  dream  is  false, 
for  I  do  not  think  I  ever  shall  go  to  heaven. 
Jesus  says,  "  Where  I  go,  ye  can  not  come." — John 
13  :  33.  Therefore,  I  don't  think  I  shall  ever  go  ; 
hence,  it  follows,  that  if  a  part  of  his  dream  is  of  the 
devil,  the  whole  of  it  must  be,  for  what  fellowship 
hath  Christ  with  Belial.''-  "When  Christ,  who  is 
our  life,  shall  appear,  then  shall  ye  also  appear 
with  him  in  glory."  — Col.  3  :  4.     Then,  instead  of 


324     AUTOHronRAPHV    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

going  to  heaven,  I  expect  that   "  the  meek  shall 
inherit  the  earth." 

I  now  say  with  much  tenderness  and  due  re- 
spect for  his  faithful  wife,  that  it  is  far  beneath 
the  spirit  of  Jesus  for  any  man,  a  minister,  or 
anything  else,  to  speak  of  his  wife  in  such  terms. 
But  my  own  dear  wife,  sympathizing  with  her, 
begs  me  to  drop  this  part  of  the  subject,  and  as  I 
have  the  greatest  respect  for  my  wife,  I  shall  take 
her  wise,  Christian  counsel.  But  to  show  how 
low  he  stoops  from  his  ministerial  dignity,  I  quote 
another  article  from  Mr.  Vox,  published  in  the 
next  issue  of  the  same  paper.  He  wrote  as 
follows  :  — 

[For  the  Blade.^ 

Mr.  Editor  :  —  In  giving  p>ublicity  to  my  dream  in 
the  last  issue  of  your  paper,  I  have  called  down  the 
Irish  wrath  of  a  little  woman  called  wife  upon  me,  for 
having  given  her  away  to  a  *'  long-legged,  snaggle- 
toothed,  red-headed,  etc."  She  \vants  to  know  what 
business  I  had  stumbling  along  the  margin  of  that 
river  in  my  nightly  slumbers,  when  good,  honest  men 
were  folded  in  the  arms  of  Morpheus.  She  thinks  I 
only  wandered  in  proximity  with  the  devil,  to  make  a 
league  with  his  satanic  majesty  to  supply  me  with  the 
elements  of  that  dream ;  and  she  declares  that  she 
never  will  comply  with  its  requisitions  if  I  debate  with 
and  vanquish  all  the  Materialists  in  America. 

So,  Mr.  Editor,  my  hands  are  tied,  and  I  shall  leave 
our  Materialistic  brethren  "  alone  in  their  glory." 


THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  DREAMER.    325 

What  a  pity,  however,  that  such  a  beautiful  church 
building  and  schoolhouse  as  I  saw  upon  the  bank  of 
that  sparkling  stream  should  be  turned  from  their  legiti- 
mate purposes  of  teaching  men  science  and  religion, 
to  converting  them  into  infidels  and  atheists !  To 
teach  that  God  is  a  material  being,  having  hands,  feet, 
head,  as  a  man,  is  to  teach  that  there  is  no  God  at  all. 
It  is  positive,  rank  atheism. 

And  then  to  come  out  in  the  light  of  the  nineteenth 
century  and  say  that  men  and  women  have  no  souls; 
that  the  air  we  breathe  is  all  the  soul  we  have,  is  sim- 
ply ridiculous  in  the  extreme.  What !  are  we  to  sup- 
pose that  such  men  as  Calvin,  Wesley,  Watson,  Benson, 
and  a  host  of  others  who  had  more  Biblical  knowledge 
in  their  little  toes  than  such  men  as  preach  these  infi- 
delic  views  have  in  their  heads,  were  all  mistaken,  and 
that  this  late  Mr.  Apostle  is  the  only  true  gospel 
preacher  in  the  land  ?  I  tell  you,  Mr.  Editor,  it  seems 
to  me  to  be  a  pretty  high  leap  for  a  yearling. 

But  I  must  quit  thinking  such  presumptions.  I  am 
becoming  so  disgusted«that  my  inards  are  beginning  to 
revolve,  and  I  am  fearful  I  shall  not  be  able  to  enjoy  a 
fat  pullet  my  other  half  is  preparing  for  supper. 

Success  to  all  honest,  useful  home  enterprises,  and 
bad  luck  to  all  evil  ones,  especially  such  as  disseminate 
moral  corruption  among  our  people,  is  the  daily  prayer  of 

Vox. 

I  don't  wonder  that  he  w^ill  leave  his  "  material- 
istic brethren  alone  in  their  glory."  They  want 
truth,  and  Mr.  Vox  may  be  assured  that  if  such 


326     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

Stuff  as  this  degrading  false  dream  is  the  best  he 
has,  that  we  are  invincible. 

Who  are  "  infidels  and  atheists  "  ?  We  teach 
that  God  is  a  real  being.  This  learned  youth  says 
he  is  not  a  real  being,  only  an  incomprehensible 
mass  of  immateriality.  And  yet  he  says  we  must 
believe  in  and  worship  this  incomprehensible 
nothing  or  be  damned. 

He  says  God  is  everywhere,  and  that  dead  men 
go  to  God.  Then,  of  course,  if  God  is  everywhere, 
dead  men  simply  go  everywhere.  The  first  article 
in  his  creed  says  God  is  "without  body  or  parts." 
If  that  is  true,  he  has  no  God  at  all.  Then  I  ask, 
Who  are  infidels  and  atheists  ?  What  kind  of  a 
God  does  the  celebrated  Bro.  Vox  pray  to  ?  Is  it 
a  God  without  parts  ?  If  so,  he  has  no  ears  to 
hear,  or  eyes  to  see  his  children.  Then  I  don't 
wonder  that  Bro.  Vox  has  so  belittled  his  high 
calling.  Because,  if  his  God  has  no  "  body  or 
parts,"  Bro.  Vox  can  say  or  dream  and  write  just 
as  suits  his  bread  and  butter;  his  God  can  not  see 
him  or  hear  him,  for  he  has  no  eyes  or  ears. 
Don't  you  pity  the  poor  fellow  ?  There  is  one 
glimmering  hope  for  him,  however,  and  that  is,  if 
he  lives  ten  years  longer  he  will  know  more  than 
he  does  now,  for  he  is  a  bright  boy. 

For  the  benefit  of  the  candid  reader,  I  will  give 
a  few  passages  proving  that  God  is  a  real  person- 
ality.    Christ  was  made  "  in  the  form  of  God."  — 


THP:    north    CAROLINA    DREAMER.  327 

Phil.  2  :  5,6.  He  had  the  image  of  God.  —  Col. 
1:15.  He  had  the  express  image  of  God's  per- 
son. —  Heb.  I  :  3.  Then  God  is  certainly  a  real 
personality.  Now,  see  that  he  has  hands,  a  face, 
and  BACK  PARTS.  —  E.xod.  33  :  22,  23.  God  has 
eyes  and  ears.  —  Ps.  34  :   15. 

This  is  reasonable  and  plain.  I  will  pay  my 
dear  Bro.  Vox  any  price  for  one  passage  proving 
that  God  is  without  body  or  parts,  as  his  creed 
plainly  teaches.  Again,  I  sound  the  question  to 
the  intelligent,  candid  mind,  Who  are  infidels  and 
atheists  ?  He  says,  "  And  then  to  come  out  in  the 
light  of  this  nineteenth  century  and  say  that  men 
and  women  have  no  souls,  that  the  air  we  breathe . 
is  all  the  soul  we  have,  is  simply  ridiculous  in  the 
extreme."  My  dear  brother  is  woefully  ignorant 
of  our  position,  or  he  willfully  misrepresents  us. 
The  first  is  inexcusable,  the  latter  is  unpardonable. 
He  is  an  intelligent  youth,  and  ought  to  know 
that  people  of  common-sense  do  not  teach  such 
things.  Bro.  Vox  teaches  that  the  soul  is  imma- 
terial. If  that  be  true,  it  is  intangible,  invisible, 
and  does  not  occupy  space  ;  hence,  it  is  nothing. 
Now  I  ask.  Who  is  it  that  teaches  that  men  and 
women  have  no  souls  .''  You  see  at  once  that  it  is 
Bro.  Vox's  theory  instead  of  Cargile's.  To  my 
mind,  it  is  very  strange  that  when  men  can  not 
resort  to  the  Bible  to  sustain  their  position,  they 
will  indulge  in  such  base  misrepresentations  and 


328     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

low  slang.  But  Jesus  says,  "  Out  of  the  abundance 
of  the  heart  the  mouth  speaketh."  Wesley, 
Calvin,  Benson,  and  Watson  were  all  good  men, 
and  I  honor  their  memory,  but  they  were  not 
inspired.  I  prefer  to  learn  of  Jesus,  Peter,  and 
Paul.  I  really  think  that  if  the  pious  Father  Wes- 
ley could  rise  to-day,  he  would  blush  to  see  the 
pretended  dream  of  this  young  brother.  I  think 
he  would  quietly  pat  the  boy  on  the  head  and  say, 
"  My  son,  if  you  can't  find  proof  for  your  position 
in  the  Bible,  give  it  up,  and  never  bring  shame 
and  disgrace  on  the  cause  I  struggled  so  hard  to 
start,  by  the  use  of  anything  that  is  low  and 
groveling." 

In  conclusion,  I  wish  to  say  that  I  have  the 
highest  respect  possible  for  the  young  brother, 
and  I  am  very  sorry  indeed  that  he  has  taken  the 
course  he  has.  Not  that  it  injures  me  or  my 
cause,  but  it  brings  the  shame  upon  his  own  head. 
I  am  sorry  because  I  love  him.  We  believe  the 
"  wages  of  sin  is  death  ;  but  the  gift  of  God  is 
eternal  life."  —  Rom.  6  :  23.  And  for  believing 
this  plain  declaration  of  Scripture,  and  teaching 
the  same  in  its  simplicity,  my  brother  has  seen  fit, 
with  all  his  learning,  to  get  off  such  a  batch  of 
the  devil's  stuff  that  it  really  makes  me  feel  bad 
for  him.  I  sincerely  hope,  if  he  ever  has  occasion 
to  level  his  huge  battery  against  the  cause  of 
truth  again,  that  he  will  do  it  in  a  more  manly, 
Christian  way. 


THE   NORTH   CAROLINA   DREAMER.  329 

Several  good  Methodists  have  read  this  dream, 
and  expressed  deep  sorrow  that  any  man  claiming 
to  be  a  Methodist  should  stoop  so  low. 

I  expect  at  some  future  time  to  return  to  North 
Carolina,  and  I  now  say  if  Bro.  Allen  thinks  me 
an  infidel,  it  is  his  imperative  duty  to  meet  me 
face  to  face  and  publicly  expose  these  doctrines. 
I  have  tried  to  write  with  the  spirit  of  Jesus,  and 
only  to  do  good  and  show  up  his  base  misrepre- 
sentations. I  have  not  tried  to  make  a  show  of 
devilish  wit.  That  does  not  belong  to  a  Christian. 
May  God  bless  my  dear  Bro.  Allen,  as  well  as  the 
writer  and  reader,  and  bring  us  at  last  beyond  the 

reach  of  strife. 

John  A.  Cargile. 

Having  read  the  tract,  the  father  of  the  young 
man  wrote  an  explanation  as  follows  :  — 

[Fertile  Blade.] 

REV.    J.    A.    CARGILE,    ETC. 

Editors  of  the  Blade  : —  I  am  in  receipt  of  a 
small  pamphlet  issued  by  one  Rev.  J.  A.  Cargile, 
formerly  of  Alabama,  now  of  Tennessee,  in  which 
he  gives  a  dream  published  some  time  since  in  the 
Blade  over  the  signature  of  "  Vox  ;  "  and  then  he 
gives  the  junior  editor  of  the  Blade  what  he  no 
doubt  considers  a  good  brushing,  under  the  sup- 
position that  he  is  boring  me  with  his  nonsense. 


330     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

It  seems  that  the  junior  had  an  interview  with 
this  Cargile,  and  passed  himself  off  as  "  Rev.  A.  L. 
Allen,  President  of  the  Rutherford  College  ;  " 
that  in  this  interview  the  said  Cargile  preached 
upon  the  subject  of  Materialism,  giving  said  junior 
paper  and  pencil  to  take  notes  for  a  reply.  This 
seems,  at  least,  to  be  the  interpretation  of  the 
whole  matter,  whether  the  junior  really  did  pass 
himself  off  for  his  father  or  not. 

Now,  all  I  have  to  say  is  this  :  I  wrote  that 
dream  in  sport  of  Cargile's  pretensions ;  for  I 
didn't  think  that  the  man  and  his  subject  were 
sufficiently  worthy  to  be  dignified  by  serious  dis- 
cussion. The  publication  of  the  dream,  however, 
did  call  out  one  J.  J.  Harshaw,  for  whose  special 
benefit,  as  well  as  for  some  other  good  but  mis- 
taken friends  on  John's  River,  I  wrote  several 
articles  in  proof  that  "  Materialism  is  a  lie."  Rev. 
Cargile  does  not  seem  to  have  seen  those  articles  ; 
for  he  seems  to  think  that  "  a  dream  "  was  all  I 
had  to  give  ! 

Now,  I  call  Mr.  Cargile's  attention  to  those 
articles  in  the  Blade,  and  I  make  this  public 
announcement  :  Mr.  Cargile  may  select  two  of 
the  most  learned  and  pious  men  out  of  each 
denomination  of  Christians  in  America,  to  whom 
as  a  committee  those  articles  shall  be  submitted  ; 
and,  if  that  committee  do  not  declare  that  those 
articles  do  prove  Materialism  to  be  a  lie,  I  ivill 


THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  DREAMER.     33 1 

write  tnyself  with  the  Advent  Church  at  the  first 
opportunity. 

I  do  most  candidly,  and  with  the  best  of  feeling, 
say  to  Mr.  Cargile,  that  I  do  not  consider  either 
himself  or  any  of  his  brethren  able  to  discuss  this 
subject,  or  even  to  understand  it.  It  would,  there- 
fore, be  a  very  little  business  in  me  to  engage  in 
a  discussion  with  any  of  them  upon  it.  It  takes 
brains,  educated  and  cultivated  .brains  at  that,  to 
discuss  sensibly  such  subjects  as  Immateriality 
and  Immortality.  You  will  hardly  find  such 
brains  in  any  preacher  who  will  leave  an  estab- 
lished church  for  such  as  the  Adventists  have. 

I  will  inform  Mr.  Cargile  that  I  am  fifty-six 
years  old  ;  am  not  the  youthful  chap  of  whom  he 
speaks  so  fluently  ;  that  I  have  never  had  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  his  face  in  the  flesh  ;  that, 
upon  the  whole,  I  am  about  as  good  looking  as 
the  junior  who  interviewed  him  ;  and,  moreover, 
my  mother  who  is  in  heaven  has  been  proud  of  me. 

In  conclusion,  I  want  the  junior  to  shoulder  his 
own  sack  ;  for  I  am  sure  it  is  too  filthy  to  carry. 

A.  L.  Allen. 

The  junior  has  not  now,  nor  never  had,  any 
quarrel  with  Mr.  Cargile  or  his  friends.  He 
treated  us  with  all  the  courtesy  one  gentleman 
could  expect  of  another  when  we  met  him.  We 
do  not   agree' with   him   so  far  as  his  doctrine  is 


332      AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

concerned,  but  cheerfully  yield  him  the  privilege 
of  believing  as  his  own  conscience  dictates.  As 
to  his  "  going  for  us  "  in  a  card,  we  have  got  used 
to  that. 

In  reply  to  his  last  shot  through  the  Blade^  I 
wish  to  apologize  for  one  expression.  I  said  that 
the  young  man  would  know  more  ten  years  hence. 
But  having  learned  that  the  real  Dr.  Vox  is  fifty- 
six,  I  take  that  all  back,  and  confess  that  in  all 
probability  the  gentleman  is  graduated.  I  have 
seen  and  carefully  read  the  articles  he  refers  to, 
and  do  not  need  his  proposed  committee  from  dif- 
ferent creed-bound  sects  to  see  that  Bro.  Harshaw 
everlastingly  demolished  the  Professor's  theory  of 
mmaterialism.  It  may  be  possible  that  neither  I 
nor  any  other  Adventists  have  brains  or  education 
enough  to  meet  this  celebrated  Vox  in  debate. 
He  might  have  to  humble  himself.  But  "he  that 
humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted,"  is  the  promise. 
We  have  all  the  brains  our  Advent  craniums  can 
contain,  and  wish  we  had  more  education.  I  wish 
the  doctor  would  give  us  one  good,  sound  trial. 
He  would  find  that  a  man  does  not  need  to  be  all 
education  to  understand  God's  simple  word.  Just 
a  little  common-sense  is  needed  to  mix  along  with 
the  education. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

EXPERIENCES    IN     1877-1879. 

Under  date  of  March  8,  1877,  I  wrote:  "The 
Lord  says  if  we  are  without  chastisement,  we  are 
bastards  and  not  sons ;  and  I  can  say  that  in  this 
respect  at  least  I  have  had  the  mark  of  sonship, 
for  the  hardest  trials  of  my  life  have  come  upon 
me  in  the  last  three  months.  I  have  tried  to  do 
what  I  could  in  the  Master's  cause,  and  find  sus- 
tenance for  my  family  a  part  of  the  time.  Amid 
it  all  my  wife  has  been  very  sick ;  but,  praise  the 
Lord,  she  is  better,  and  to-morrow  I  start  again 
for  the  harvest  field  to  sow  the  precious  seed, 
which  the  angels  will  reap  in  the  great  harvest." — 
Matt.  13  :  39. 

During  the  past  three  months  I  have  labored  in 
the  churches  in  DeKalb  and  Cherokee  Counties, 
Ala.,  and  in  our  Wednesday  evening  meetings 
here  at  home.  I  do  praise  the  Lord  for  the  en- 
couragement we  have  from  time  to  time  in  our 
social  meetings.  Many  of  the  dear  brethren  and 
sisters  are  taking  up  the  cross  by  testifying  in  the 
meetings.  It  is  a  heavier  cross  here  than  in  the 
North,  especially  so  for  the  sisters,  as  they  have 


334     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

been  taught  that  it  is  wrong  for  them  to  speak  in 
the  church.  It  has  been  said  that  "all  Cargile's 
members  have  turned  preachers." 

Leaving  home  March  14,  I  rode  on  horseback, 
crossing  the  Tennessee  River,  Sand  Mountain, 
Wills'  Valley,  and  the  war-famed  Lookout  Moun- 
tain. I  held  two  meetings  at  houses  of  brethren 
on  my  way  over,  and  preached  several  times  in  the 
vicinity.  At  Liberty  Church  I  had  the  privilege 
of  greeting  and  preaching  to  those  who  a  short 
time  before  were  expelled  from  the  Unity  (i*) 
Baptist  Church  for  believing,  or  rather  talking, 
God's  truth.  As  a  result  of  these  meetings,  sev- 
eral came  forward  for  prayers,  and  we  all  felt 
blessed  of  the  Lord. 

Started  home  on  Monday,  the  19th,  in  a  dump- 
cart  with  Bro.  Smith.  We  came  up  Lookout  Moun- 
tain and  crossed  Little  River.  We  rode  thirty 
miles,  where  we  preached  to  a  waiting  audience, 
then  twenty  miles  next  day,  where  another  dis- 
course was  delivered  at  the  house  of  Bro.  Boak- 
outs  on  Sand  Mountain,  for  the  special  benefit  of 
young  people.  God  blessed  the  effort.  When  in 
sight  of  home  all  the  children  (only  five)  met  me, 
glad  to  see  papa,  as  they  always  are. 

On  June  14,  I  wrote  a  condensed  report  of  the 
work  since  March  31. 

During  April  preached  a  funeral  sermon  to  an 
attentive  crowd.     One  young  lady,  nineteen  years 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1877-1879  335 

of  age,  bright  and  intelligent-looking,  had  never 
been  to  church  or  heard  preaching.  What  a  need 
for  more  laborers  ! 

In  May  I  went  to  Ringgold  in  Catoosa  Co.,  Ga., 
where  I  had  an  appointment.  Found  it  a  new 
place,  full  of  bitter  opposition,  so  much  so  that 
some  one  had  taken  pains  to  hide  the  lamp,  which 
cast  a  gloom  over  the  audience.  Spoke  again  the 
next  night,  the  brethren  furnishing  lamps.  Dur- 
ing June,  preached  the  iinst  Sunday  at  home ; 
second  at  Shiloh  Church  ;  the  Lord  blessed. 

The  third  Saturday  and  Sunday  in  June  I  visited 
Goose  Pond,  and  tried  to  tell  them  "  the  old,  old 
story."  On  Sunday,  Bro.  Word  (Presbyterian) 
came,  and  after  I  had  spoken  on  the  Rich  Man 
and  Lazarus,  followed  in  an  able  sermon,  but  did 
not  controvert.  Sunday  p.m.  walked  six  miles 
home  with  Bro.  J.  O.  Gray,  and  spoke  at  night  in 
Mitchell's  Chapel.  There  was  a  crowd  of  young 
folks,  and  I  felt  a  burden  for  them.  Had  a  good 
time,  and  hope  good  was  done.  Fourth  Saturday 
and  Sunday  at  Bethel.  Found  much  suffering 
physically,  but  spiritually  all  quiet  ;  in  fact,  a 
quiet  that  I  regard  as  really  dangerous.  Last 
Saturday  and  Sunday  I  went  to  Cowan,  Tenn., 
and  had  two  very  interesting  meetings. 

My  health  for  a  week  past  has  been  poor.  I 
took  sick  at  Bethel,  and  this  week  have  scarcely 
been  able  to  get  out.     Tuesday,  July  3,  was  the 


336     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

day  set  apart  for  me  to  start  on  a  month's  tour  in 
North  Carolina.  I  was  in  bed  suffering  with  pain. 
And  now  what  shall  I  do  ?  Lord,  lead  me  !  The 
railroad  rates  this  side  Chattanooga  are  higher 
than  they  were  last  year.  They  used  to  give  me 
half-fare,  but  now  do  not  allow  ministers  half- 
fare  who  live  off  their  line.  So  I  began  to  run 
short  of  funds  after  being  out  two  days,  and  eat- 
ing only  breakfast  each  day.  In  Morristown  I 
stayed  at  the  Virginia  House;  received  good  fare 
at  reduced  rates.  On  Wolf  Creek  road,  full  fare. 
The  stage  to  Asheville  last  year  took  me  for  $2.50, 
now  I  pay  $6.50.  So,  having  only  $1.50,  I  asked 
the  Lord  for  help.  Passing  a  house  on  the  road- 
side, an  impression  seized  me  that  I  could  get 
some  money  in  there  ;  so  I  called  the  stage-driver 
to  halt  a  few  seconds,  ran  in,  and  proposed  to 
pawn  my  watch  for  $5.00.  The  gentleman  said 
he  did  not  have  it.  I  remarked,  "  I'll  ride  as  far 
as  I  can,  then  walk,"  and  ran  back  to  the  stage 
and  started,  when  a  bystander  called  us  to  stop, 
and  running  up  handed  me  a  $5.00  note,  but  did 
not  take  my  watch. 

I  then  had  money  enough  to  get  to  Asheville, 
where  I  arrived  at  7.30  p.m.,  on  Friday,  July  6. 
This  place  is  twenty-four  miles  from  Old  Fort, 
where  the  trains  leave  at  six  a.m.,  and  I  must 
reach  it  that  night,  or  not  get  to  my  appointment 
the  8th.     I  prayed  for  help,  but   I  confess  I  did 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1877-1879.  337 

not  expect  it,  for  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  walk 
the  twenty-four  miles  that  night.  I  told  the  land- 
lord of  the  Central  Hotel  of  my  circumstances,  and 
that  I  must  get  through  that  night  if  possible.  I 
proposed,  if  he  would  send  me  through  in  time  for 
the  train  at  six  next  morning,  that  I  would  leave 
my  watch  with  him  till  my  return.  He  said  he 
would  send  me  to  the  train,  but  would  not  keep  my 
watch,  adding,  "I  am  not  afraid  to  risk  j/ou."  So' 
I  started  from  Asheville  at  8.30  p.m.,  and  drove 
through  the  terribly  rough  mountain,  and  some- 
times down  precipices  so  steep  that  they  almost 
seemed  perpendicular,  and  so  dark  we  could  not  see 
the  faithful  old  horse  before  the  buggy.  But  the 
driver  knew  his  business,  and  just  at  the  dawn  of 
day  we  reached  the  train.  Here  a  kind  hotel-keeper 
favored  me  on  my  way  by  giving  me  breakfast.  I 
felt  indeed  very  sick,  for  I  left  home  Tuesday 
night,  and  up  to  Saturday  morning  had  slept  only 
one  night,  and  eaten  one  meal  a  day,  every  day 
but  one,  when  I  took  two. 

Now  came  another  trial.  How  can  I  get  a  ticket 
to  Morganton  ?  The  railroad  was  then  finished 
only  to  Old  Fort,  which  was  a  new  station  ;  and 
the  ticket-office  and  everything  else  seemed  to  be 
only  temporary  structures.  No  time  was  to  be 
lost,  for  the  train  must  go  in  a  few  minutes.  Lift- 
ing my  heart  to  God  in  silent  prayer  that  if  it  were 
duty  for  me  to  go  the  way  might  be  opened,   I 


338     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

rushed  to  the  window  of  the  ticket-office,  and 
said,  "  Give  me  a  ticket  for  Morganton,  and  I  will 
pay  you  a  month  from  now,  when  I  come  back/' 
The  gentleman  gazed  at  me  about  one  minute, 
then  stamped  the  ticket  and  handed  it  to  me  with- 
out uttering  a  single  word.  I  ran  to  the  train, 
which  was  starting  when  I  got  on. 

At  8.30  I  reached  Morganton  in  Burke  Co., 
N.C.,  where  I  met  dear  Bro.  Israel  Coffey.  We 
drove  to  John's  River,  sixteen  miles,  in  three 
hours ;  all  the  way  I  felt  sick,  and  thought  that 
when  I  got  through  I  should  certainly  have  a  good 
rest.  On  the  contrary,  I  found  Bro.  John  Kirby 
waiting  to  take  me  to  Lower  Creek,  thirteen  miles 
farther,  to  preach  that  night.  The  people  would 
be  out  and  expect  me.  With  Bro.  Finley  Coffey 
we  started  for  the  new  church  "Tabernacle,"  on 
Lower  Creek  ;  met  Bro.  G.  D.  Sherrill  (the  pas- 
tor) at  the  church,  and  enjoyed  a  good  meeting 
with  the  beloved  saints  who  had  been  turned  out 
of  the  "  Synagogue "  for  believing  God's  truth, 
and  who  have,  through  much  tribulation,  built  a 
good  house. 

Sunday,  8th,  met  a  crowded  house,  and  preached 
at  eleven  a.m.  ;  then  took  the  Lord's  supper,  and 
had  a  good  season  of  union  with  brethren  and 
sisters. 

Monday,  9th,  preached  at  eleven  a.m.  Three 
joined  the  church.     Tuesday,    loth,  baptized  two 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1877-1879.  339 

sisters,  and  preached  at  eleven  a.m.,  when  four 
requested  prayer.  Preached  again  at  night.  I  in- 
tended to  go  next  day  to  a  new  place  to  preach,  but 
I  was  told  that  night  some  one  had  declared  if  I 
went  to  Beaver  Creek  I  would  be  killed  ;  and 
another  told  me  one  man  had  sworn  to  whip  me 
if  I  came  there  preaching  my  heresy.  I  thought 
of  Paul's  five  times  thirty-nine  stripes  ;  but  I  felt 
it  duty  to  go,  and  I  was  sure  the  Lord  would  see 
me  through.  Bro.  G.  D.  Sherrill  went  on  horse- 
back, while  I  rode  in  a  hack  with  Bro.  Clingman 
Powell  and  family.  We  drove  till  eleven  a.m.,  when 
we  stopped  with  a  good  Methodist,  Bro.  Kendall 
and  family,  for  dinner.  They  treated  us  kindly, 
and  himself,  wife,  and  daughter  went  with  us  to 
the  church,  or  place  of  threatened  execution,  where 
I  met  a  strange  crowd,  and  tried  to  preach  at 
three  p.m.  The  attention  was  all  I  could  ask  for. 
Preached  again  at  night  at  the  house  of  a  good 
Baptist  brother,  who  was  eighty-one  years  old, 
Bro.  John  F.  Ferguson.  Here  a  Baptist  minister 
came  out,  but  refused  to  take  part  in  the  meeting. 
Thursday,  12th,  feeling  very  much  exhausted,  I 
rested  till  eleven  a.m.,  and  heard  Bro.  G.  D.  Sher- 
rill in  a  very  able  discourse  on  the  kingdom.  I 
followed  by  a  short  talk,  and  closed  with  good 
feeling  in  the  audience.  Preached  again  at  three 
P.M.,  also  at  night.  I  preached  on  the  Lord's  com- 
ing ;  spoke  one  hour  and  a  half,  while  they  gave 


340     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

the  best  attention  to  the  first  sermon  they  ever 
heard  on  that  subject.  The  lions  stayed  away,  or 
God  kept  them  chained,  and  they  never  hurt  me ; 
but,  on  the  contrary,  I  received  every  mark  of  hos- 
pitality that  I  could  expect  anywhere.  Praise  to 
God,  and  thanks  to  the  people  ! 

Friday,  13th.  Drove  to  Jarmin's  Hill,  and 
preached  to  a  large  crowd  in  the  yard  of  Bro. 
Harrison  Fennel.  At  eleven  a.m.  rode  alone  to 
Bro.  Jason  Martin's,  about  twelve  miles.  Satur- 
day, 14th,  at  eleven  a.m.,  met  an  attentive  crowd 
at  the  Yadkin  Church.  Then  to  the  Berean  Church 
at  night.     Sunday,  15th,  preached  twice. 

Now  I  am  preparing  to  go  about  thirty  miles  to 
another  county  to  preach  these  last-day  truths. 
I  am  now  in  the  field,  where  I  hope  to  remain  till 
the  Master  comes.  Plenty  of  work  and  self-denial 
now,  but,  praise  God  !  pay-day  is  just  ahead. 
Yours,  in  the  war  for  victory, 

John  A.   Cargile,  Evangelist. 

ColleUsville,  N.C. 

At  Boone,  in  Watauga  Co.,  I  preached  in  the 
courthouse  to  an  immense  crowd,  because  they 
did  not  open  the  churches.  A  senator  said,  "  If 
our  preachers  don't  come  out  now,  and  show  their 
hand  in  defense  of  their  doctrine,  we  are  gone." 
I  gave  them  straight  truth.  Preached  at  Shull's 
Mills  and  Blowing  Rock,  then  went  to  Colletts- 
ville  for  the  Annual  Conference,  the  25th  of  July, 


EXPERIENCES   IN    1877-1879.  341 

where  five  were  baptized,  and  eight  joined  the 
church.  The  truth  spreads  like  wildfire  here  in 
the  community  of  the  Wonderful  Dreamer.  July 
31  I  took  a  stage  drawn  by  six  beautiful  gray 
horses,  and,  ascending  the  Blue  Ridge,  came  to 
Asheville.  Here  the  wife  and  little  son  of  the 
merchant  of  whom  I  had  borrowed  the  five  dol- 
lars had  come  with  a  wagon  loaded  with  mountain 
roots  and  herbs,  which  they  had  exchanged  for 
sole-leather.  He  told  them  to  watch  the  arrival 
of  the  stage  from  Old  Fort,  and  if  that  preacher 
came  to  bring  him  out  the  sixty-five  miles,  and 
save  him  five  dollars.  I  found  the  little  boy  at 
the  Central  Hotel  awaiting  me.  We  drove  out  to 
Alexander's,  fourteen  miles  after  sunset ;  and  the 
country  hotel  was  so  crowded  that  they  could 
only  take  Sr.  Seism  and  a  young  lady  who  came 
with  her.  The  boy,  Emmet,  and  I  slept  in  the 
wagon  on  the  rolls  of  sole-leather,  which  was  a 
very  uneven  and  uncomfortable  bed.  Next  day 
we  completed  the  journey.  We  reached  Antioch 
Church  just  at  sunset  the  next  day,  took  supper 
with  Bro.  Seism,  and  then  tried  to  preach  to  an 
attentive  crowd. 

Thursday,  Aug.  2,  preached  three  times,  and 
felt  that  God  was  with  me.  Here  Bro.  Seism  and 
a  Bro.  Morris  proposed  to  take  a  collection  for  me, 
but  I  would  not  consent.  I  love  the  precious  cause 
of    my   Master  too    well,   I   hope,   to    have    it  re- 


342     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

preached  for  "greenbacks;"  but  they  gave  me 
^4.25  individually.  May  God  bless  them  !  I  did 
not  feel  it  duty  to  leave  without  preaching  once 
more  ;  so  on  Friday,  Aug.  3,  I  began  preaching 
at  9.30  A.M.  ;  spoke  nearly  one  hour  and  a  half  on 
"How  to  be  Ready  for  the  Master."  Many  were 
melted  to  tears.  I  closed  just  as  the  stage  came 
in  sight.  In  the  road,  as  I  bade  the  many  strange 
but  dear  ones  good  by,  one  old  brother  who,  it  is 
said,  had  not  been  to  meeting  for  years  before,  said 
to  me,  his  eyes  streaming  with  tears,  "  You  can 
get  a  church  here  with  fifty  members  if  you  will 
only  stop  and  form  a  class." 

Now,  dear  brethren,  like  Joseph  in  Egypt,  I  can 
look  back  and  see  the  hand  of  God.  I  can  now 
see  why  he  let  my  money  run  short,  and  had  me 
stop  here  to  borrow  the  money.  They  invited  me 
to  preach,  and  God  blessed.  His  name  was  glori- 
fied, and  then  I  was  satisfied. 

Well,  I  entered  the  stage  and  went  to  Wolf 
Creek,  then  on  the  train  via  Morristown,  Tenn. 
I  came  to  New  Market,  and  got  off  to  go  to  the 
pleasant  village  of  Dandridge  in  Jefferson  Co., 
Tenn.  A  brother  here  had  seen  in  the  Crisis  that 
I  was  in  North  Carolina,  and  wrote  to  me  to  give 
them  a  call.  This  is  a  new  field.  An  Adventist 
had  never  preached  in  this  county.  The  Method- 
ist brethren  allowed  me  to  preach  in  their  church 
on  Saturday  night,  when  I  gave  them  God's  plain 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1875-1879.  343 

truth  on  the  promised  inheritance,  and  felt  sure 
that  the  doors  would  be  closed  against  me  after 
that  ;  but  on  Sunday  morning  I  was  informed  that 
I  could  occupy  the  Methodist  or  Baptist  Church, 
either,  as  there  was  no  other  preaching  in  the  vil- 
lage. As  I  had  begun  in  the  Methodist  Church,  I 
remained  and  preached  twice  on  Sunday  to  large, 
attentive  crowds  ;  and  if  there  was  a  dissenting 
voice,  I  did  not  hear  it.  Indeed,  the  people  of 
the  place  treated  me  with  such  kindness,  and 
received  the  word  with  such  readiness  of  mind, 
that  I  really  feared  that  I  had  been  mistaken,  and 
that  God  had  not  sent  me  there. 

But  so  it  is  :  the  seed  is  sown,  and  the  kind- 
hearted  people  of  Dandridge  have  heard  the  mid- 
night cry,  "Behold  the  bridegroom  cometh  !  "  I 
pray  God  to  water  the  seed  sown.  It  may  be  that 
after  the  ministry  comes  down  on  us  for  bread 
and  butter,  that  some  will  lack  backbone ;  and  it 
may  be  said,  "  See  the  faltering  ones  ;  backward 
they  fall."  I  feel  sure,  however,  that  many  can 
sing,  — 

"  Surely  the  Captain  may  depend  on  me, 
Though  but  an  armor-bearer  I  may  be." 

I  reached  home  Monday,  Aug.  6,  and  found 
the  Lord  taking  care  of  my  loved  ones.  Oh,  the 
simplicity  and  power  of  faith  !  And  yet  how  little 
of  it  there  is  in  the  world.     All  we  need  is  to  be 


344      AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

better  acquainted  with  our  dear  Saviour,  to  place 
in  him  utmost  confidence.     Pray  for  us. 

J.   A.   Cargile,  Evang.  S.  A.  C.  Conf. 

Stevenson,  Ala.,  Aug.  g,  1877. 

At  the  annual  Conference  of  North  Alabama  I 
made  my  report  as  their  evangelist,  from  which 
I  copy  the  following  :  "  I  have  traveled  on  boats, 
trains,  stages,  wagons,  hacks,  dump-cart,  on  horse- 
back and  on  foot,  through  heat  and  cold,  wet  and 
dry,  during  the  year,  7,625  miles,  at  a  cost,  includ- 
ing lodging,  meals,  and  other  incidental  expenses,  of 
$228.75  ;  family  supplies,  such  as  flour,  meal,  corn, 
bacon,  sugar,  coffee,  butter,  etc.,  during  the  year, 
$150.10;  clothing  for  myself  and  family,  $43.25  ; 
wages  paid  a  man  to  work  at  home  in  my  place 
during  the  year,  $125.00;  payment  on  old  debt 
on  present  home,  $100.00;  total  of  all  expenses 
for  the  year,  $647.10. 

My  receipts  were  as  follows  :  Friends  in  North 
Carolina,  $82.60;  Arkansas,  $44.20;  Cherokee 
Co.,  Ala.,  $2.75  ;  Shiloh  Church,  DeKalb  Co., 
Ala.,  $1.00;  Bethel  Church,  James  Co.,  Tenn., 
$9.65;  Cowan,  Franklin  Co.,  Tenn.,  $9.50;  in 
private  letters  from  the  Lord's  servants,  $40.00  ; 
American  Advent  Mission  Society,  $358.00;  a 
friend  in  Goose  Pond  Church,  Ala.,  50  cents  ;  total 
cash  receipts,  $548.10. 

This  shows  that  it  costs  something  to  preach 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1877-1879.  345 

these  unpopular  truths.  It  is  but  just  to  say  that 
during  the  year  I  have  received,  in  addition  to 
the  above  donations,  as  cheerful  gifts  from  friends 
in  Woodruff  County,  Ark.,  a  box  of  meat  ;  from 
the  church  near  home,  two  pieces  of  meat  and  a 
bag  of  corn;  from  friends  in  James  Co.,  Tenn., 
and  North  Carolina,  twelve  yards  of  jeans,  four 
pairs  of  socks,  and  a  nice  double-woven  bed- 
spread, amounting  in  the  aggregate  to  perhaps 
1^30.00,  showing  an  excess  of  expenses  amount- 
ing to  1^69. 00.  I  have  felt  it.  duty,  as  your  servant, 
to  let  you  know  what  it  costs  to  be  an  evange- 
list."      . 

I  copy  from  the  pen  of  Bro.  J.  J.  Harshaw  of 
North  Carolina,  as  published  in  the  Crisis  of 
Sept.  19,  1877,  as  follows:  "A  few  months  after 
Bro.  Bowman  came  Eld.  John  A.  Cargile  of  Ala- 
bama, a  man  full  of  the  spirit  of  Jesus,  who  stood 
up,  as  did  the  Apostle  Paul,  and  boldly  preached 
Jesus  and  his  second  coming  to  the  people.  He 
also,  as  did  his  blessed  Master,  suffered  persecu- 
tion ;  unmeasured  abuse  was  heaped  upon  him, 
and  in  some  instances  personal  violence  was  threat- 
ened ;  but  notwithstanding  all  this,  he  persevered 
and  preached  the  truth  as  it  is  in  the  Bible.  The 
doors  of  all  places  of  public  worship  were  closed 
against  him,  and  he  was  compelled  to  preach  in 
the  open  air  and  mill-houses;  but  the  "common 
people  "  from  afar  and  near  flocked  to  hear  him. 


346     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

and  his  labors  were  blessed.  '  The  Word  of 
God  grew  and  multiplied,'  and  a  number  were 
converted  to  '  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the 
saints,'  and  we  now  (thank  the  Lord)  have  two 
very  creditable  church  edifices,  with  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty  members  in  this  county.  We 
also  have  the  sympathy  and  influence  of  a  large 
and  respectable  class  of  people,  not  members  of 
any  church,  besides  a  large  number  in  other  de- 
nominations, holding  the  same  views  that  we  do. 
We  have  great  reason  to  thank  God  for  the  suc- 
cess of  the  cause  of  Christ  in  this  part  of  North 
Carolina." 

In  August  I  preached  twice  for  the  Baptist 
Church  at  home.  In  September  went  below 
Scottsboro,  Ala.,  and  with  Bro.  S.  P.  Hayward 
preached  in  the  open  air  a  week. 

One  day  we  held  the  meeting  in  Sauta  Cave, 
nearly  a  mile  from  the  entrance.  During  the 
meeting  I  preached  fifteen  times  in  nine  days 
and  had  a  severe  hemorrhage  as  I  rode  home. 
This  and  my  recent  work  in  North  Carolina  has 
proved  to  be  too  much  for  my  weak  lungs.  Sev- 
eral were  converted  at  the  meeting  and  baptized. 
Friday  night  I  received  an  invitation  to  go  seven 
miles  to  Smith's  Chapel  the  next  night.  Although 
my  lungs  were  very  painful,  I  could  not  say  no. 
Saturday  I  preached  at  Goose  Pond,  at  eleven  a.m. 
Then  Bro.  W.  J.    Adams  and  I  rode  the    seven 


EXPKRIENCES    IN    1S77-1879.  347 

miles  through  the  rain  and  mud  to  Smith's  Chapel, 
a  beautiful  church  belonging  to  the  Methodists. 
Just  as  the  people  gathered,  an  ''order'"  came 
from  the  trustees  forbidding  me  to  preach  on  the 
church  lot.  A  >oung  sister  went  in  and  lighted 
the  church  and  said,  "  I  belong  to  this  church  ; 
come  in  and  preach  ; "'  but  I  could  not  feel  free  to 
enter.  The  crowd  stood  around.  One  man  said  : 
"Just  over  the  hollow,  yonder,  by  the  mill,  is  my 
dirt,  and  you  are  welcome  to  preach  there."  I 
said,  "  Let  us  go  to  it."  Some  said,  "  What  shall 
we  do  for  lights.''"  I  replied,  "God's  word  was 
David's  light,  and  it  will  serve  me  too."  We  re- 
paired to  the  spot  without  delay,  and  in  the  moon- 
light, while  the  ladies  sat  on  shawls,  and  the  men 
on  the  ground,  and  wet  logs,  brush,  etc.,  I  stood 
and  spoke  one  hour  from  i  Jno.  5:11,  12,  without 
taking  my  Bible  out  of  the  saddlebags.  God  was 
with  us  in  power.  Next,  morning  I  baptized  a 
man,  who  requested  it  on  the  roadside. 

I  suffered  very  much  till  the  fourth  Sunday, 
when  I  preached  at  Bethel  Church,  East  Tennessee, 
at  eleven  a.m.  ;  then  five  miles  away  at  Ewing's 
shed  at  three  p.m.  Three  Baptist  preachers  pres- 
ent, one  of  whom  said  his  Mudsills  were  torn  up. 
I  returned  to  Bethel  to  speak  again  that  night. 
I  will  here  copy  a  statement  from  the  Times 
of  Rejoicing,  edited  by  Eld.  H.  Davis,  of  New 
Britain,  Ct.,  as  follows  :  — 


348     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

A   CASE   OF    HEALING. 

It  was  at  our  request  that  Rev.  John  A.  Cargile 
of  Stevenson,  Ala.,  a  faithful  missionary  of  Jesus 
Christ,  sent  us  the  following  account  of  his  healing. 

Knowing  the  facts,  we  feel  it  would  be  for  the 
glory  of  God  and  the  good  of  many  of  the  suffer- 
ing ones  in  the  household  of  faith  if  he  would 
give  them  to  our  readers.  Ed. 

I  have  been  asked  to  write  a  statement  of  the 
dealings  of  the  Lord  with  me,  and  I  consent  to  do 
so  for  the  glory  of  God.  I  was  born  in  Missouri, 
in  October,  1843,  ^"d  when  less  than  a  year  old  I 
took  the  chills  and  fever,  with  which  I  suffered 
every  summer  and  fall  till  I  was  eighteen  years 
old.     My  oldest  sister  died  with  consumption. 

The  long  siege  of  the  ague  had  retarded  my 
growth  and  the  development  of  physical  muscles, 
and  seemed  to  settle  on  my  lungs.  I  could  not  do 
stooping  work,  such  as  hoeing,  or  chopping  with 
an  ax,  without  producing  hemorrhage  from  the 
lungs.  Several  physicians  told  me  that  there  was 
nothing  for  me  but  a  consumptive's  grave.  When 
called  to  preach,  my  father  told  me  it  would  soon 
kill  me  because  of  the  condition  of  my  lungs. 
But  I  felt  that  I  must  tell  lost  ones  the  power  of 
Christ  to  save.  When  I  preached  for  several 
days  in  succession,  did  any  stooping  work,  or  took 


EXPERIENCES   IN    1877-1879.  349 

sudden  cold,  my  lungs  would  bleed,  but  I  kept  it  a 
secret  from  my  family  and  friends  so  far  as  I  could 
till  the  autumn  of  1877,  I  believe,  when  the  hem- 
orrhages weakened  me  so  that  I  gave  it  up,  believ- 
ing that  I  must  die.  I  ceased  preaching  for  a 
while.  Being  requested  to  attend  a  special  meet- 
ing near  Ooltewah,  Tenn.,  the  fourth  Saturday 
and  Sunday  in  October  of  that  year,  I  went. 
Wife  said  to  me  when  getting  ready  to  start, 
"  Now,  please  don't  go  up  there  and  try  to  preach 
and  ruin  your  lungs."  I  replied,  "I  will  preach 
oncey  When  I  arrived  at  Old  Bethel  Church, 
organized  by  Sr.  Hastings  and  Bro.  H.  Davis,  in 
1871,  I  found  the  dear  saints  all  glad  to  see  me, 
and  anxious  to  have  me  speak.  I  could  not  refuse. 
During  my  third  effort,  which  was  Sunday  evening, 
the  blood  rushed  from  my  lungs,  and  filled  my 
mouth  in  a  moment.  I  began  to  sink  down  in  the 
desk ;  brethren  helped  me  across  the  road  to  a 
house,  where  I  spent  the  night  in  agony.  I  sup- 
pose I  must  have  lost  a  quart  or  more  of  blood 
that  night.  Next  morning,  feeling  miserable,  I 
started  with  a  cane  in  each  hand  to  walk  a  short 
distance,  where  I  hoped  to  borrow  a  mule  to  ride 
to  the  depot,  to  take  train  for  home,  where  I  ex- 
pected soon  to  die  and  fill  a  consumptive's  grave. 
As  I  thus  went  slowly  on  my  way,  reflecting  on 
my  condition,  and  that  of  my  family,  and  the 
interests  of   the  cause  of   truth,  and  wondering 


350     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.  CARGILE. 

who  should  take  my  place,  an  impression  came 
over  me  like  this  :  "  You  preach  to  other  people 
to  trust  God,  now  why  don't  you  put  it  into  prac- 
tice ? "  Instantly,  and  almost  unconsciously,  I 
knelt  by  the  roadside,  under  a  large  chestnut-tree, 
and  prayed  thus  :  "  O  Lord,  if  you  are  done  with 
me,  let  me  die  right  here,  for  I  don't  want  to  live 
any  longer  in  this  condition.  I  am  a  misery  to 
myself  and  a  burden  to  my  family  ;  but  if  you 
have  any  more  preaching  for  me  to  do,  heal  my 
lungs  right  now,  and  I  will  go  to  Arkansas  next 
week.  I  have  no  will  in  this  matter  ;  I  leave  it  all 
with  thee." 

The  Spirit  certainly  made  intercession  for  me, 
for  I  had  not  thought  of  Arkansas  until  I  spoke  it. 
Immediately  I  felt  a  very  peculiar,  soothing,  cheer- 
ing sensation  thrill  every  fiber  of  my  being — I 
remember  I  did  not  think  "  I  am  healed,"  but,  not 
having  drawn  a  good  breath  in  three  months  with- 
out pain,  my  thought  at  that  instant  was  this,  "  I 
will  see  if  I  can  draw  a  long  breath."  And  I 
never  breathed  so  easily  or  so  sweetly  in  all  my 
life  before.  A  moment  before  I  could  scarcely 
speak  above  a  whisper ;  now  I  sprang  to  my  feet 
and  a  loud  hallelujah !  rang  out  over  those  pine- 
covered  hills  which  no  doubt  could  be  heard  for  a 
half-mile.  I  came  home  praising  God,  and  told 
my  loved  ones  I  should  never  have  another  pain 
in   my  lungs  or  another  hemorrhage.     I  went  to 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1877-1879.  35 1 

Arkansas  the  next  week  and  preached  day  and 
night  for  six  weeks.  I  prais(3  God  I  have  never 
been  hoarse,  I  have  never  had  another  hemorrhage 
or  another  pain  in  my  lungs,  and  I  am  solid  in  the 
faith  that  I  never  will.  I  have  taken  cold  some- 
times and  coughed  terribly,  but  it  was  only  bron- 
chial, and  never  reached  my  lungs.  I  can  preach 
twice  and  three  times  a  day  and  never  get  hoarse. 
The  skeptic  may  cry  "  fanaticism,"  but  I  praise 
God  I  know  what  he  has  done  for  me.  I  want  to 
spend  all  my  years  in  the  service  of  him  who  has 
given  me  a  new  pair  of  lungs  and  otherwise  blessed 
me  so  wonderfully.  "  Oh,  magnify  the  Lord  with 
me,  and  let  us  exalt  his  name  together." 

John    A.    Cargile. 

Jan.   27,   1890. 

While  in  Arkansas  on  that  trip  I  preached  in 
De  View,  Augusta,  Newport,  and  other  places  in 
the  country.  I  had  sore  eyes  and  suffered  terri- 
bly, but  kept  on  preaching  when  I  could  not  see 
to  read  a  word.  "Afflictions,  though  they  seem 
severe,  are  oft  in  mercy  sent." 

Ip  the  Crisis  of  Jan.  9,  1878,  Eld.  T.  F.  Nelson, 
writing  from  North  Carolina,  says  :  "  Who  of  the 
preaching  brethren  will  trust  the  Lord  for  bread, 
like  Bro.  Cargile,  and  come  over  and  help  us } " 

After  suffering  with  sore  eyes  for  several  weeks, 
I  wrote,  March  5,  1878:  —  "I  realize  that  the 
affliction    has  been  for   my  good ;    by  it   I    have 


352      AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN    A.   CARGILE. 

learned  that  I  needed  a  little  more  patience.  I 
thought  I  had  patience  for  almost  any  trial  ;  but 
when  I  could  not  see  to  read  for  so  long,  and  the 
precious  papers  making  their  weekly  visits  and  my 
Bible  lying  by,  it  was  too  much.  Several  times 
I  have  turned  from  them  in  anguish  because  I 
could  not  read  them.  Another  sore  trial  has  been, 
our  finances  have  not  been  sufficient  to  supply 
our  daily  needs,  and  that  troubled  me.  The  enemy 
has  often  whispered  to  me,  while  I  have  been  sit- 
ting by  the  fire  suffering,  and  told  me  that  I  ought 
to  stay  at  home  and  work  for  bread.  But  amid 
it  all  I  praise  God  I  am  no  worse.  While  passing 
through  this  sore  affliction  I  preached  what  I 
could.  I  went  to  Ooltewah,  and  on  Sunday  morn- 
ing a  heavy  rainstorm  was  raging,  with  prospect 
of  continuing  all  day.  Bro.  Swinney,  a  Methodist 
minister,  came  to  go  with  me  :  and  now  came  a 
test  of  trust.  My  eyes  were  bad,  and  should  I 
trust  God,  and  walk  about  three  miles  through 
the  rain,  or  stay  in-doors  and  disappoint  the 
people .''  I  felt  .the  burden  heavily  ;  we  knelt 
together,  and  put  our  keeping  into  the  hands  of 
God  and  started,  and  in  ten  minutes  the  rain 
ceased,  and  soon  the  sun  broke  out  and  we  had 
a  blessed  day.  I  spoke  twice  that  day,  and  the 
Lord  blessed  the  word  spoken.  Next  returned 
home  and  borrowed  one  dollar  and  went  into  Lost 
Cove  in  the  Cumberland  Mountains,  where  they 


EXPERIENCES   IN    1877-1879.  553 

had  but  little  preaching.  There  were  thirteen 
families  in  the  Cove,  and  all  named  Garner  but 
one,  and  he  married  a  Garner,  In  one  family  there 
were  fifteen  children,  and  all  at  home.  I  saw  the 
whole  family  gathered  around  five  wild  turkeys, 
which  one  of  the  boys  had  killed  and  brought  in. 
Such  a  nice  family  reminded  me  of  home. 

The  people  were  glad  to  see  me.  I  preached 
several  times,  and  on  starting  home  one  brother 
gave  me  fifty  cents,  which  paid  half  my  car  fare. 
When  I  arrived  at  the  depot  a  brother  said,  '  Here 
are  two  hams  of  nice  meat  for  Sr.  Cargile.'  My 
heart  rejoiced,  for  I  knew  how  glad  wife  and  chil- 
dren would  be  to  get  it.  Soon  a  good  sister  came 
in  and  gave  me  a  nice  dress  for  my  wife.  I  re- 
turned happy,  for  it  was  more  than  any  regular 
church  had  done  for  me  for  a  long  time.  I  gave 
in  my  own  meeting  at  home  an  account  of  the 
meeting  of  the  Methodist  Quarterly  Conference, 
which  I  attended,  and  was  kindly  invited  to  take 
part  in  the  service  and  assist  in  the  administration 
of  the  Lord's  Supper.  I  was  to  go  to  Georgia, 
but  our  boy  Willis  was  very  suddenly  and  violently 
attacked  with  pneumonia,  so  I  felt  it  duty  to  stay 
with  him. 

In  March,  1878,  I  visited  Reynolds,  in  Georgia, 
where  I  met  some  Seventh-day  Adventists,  —  the 
first  I  had  ever  seen. 

They  tried   to    show  me    from   charts  and  the 


354      AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

Bible  that  they  were  right,  but  I  could  not  see  it, 
nor  do  I  yet. 

In  April  I  came  home  all  tired  out.  Rested  one 
night,  and  started  with  a  bushel  of  tracts  and 
papers,  for  Huntsville,  Ala.  I  could  not  get  any 
church  in  the  little  city.  I  went  to  every  store 
and  rumhole  in  the  place  and  left  tracts,  except  in 
one  place  where  a  Catholic  lady  forbade  me.  The 
court  was  in  session.  A  lawyer  asked  me,  '  Have 
you  a  case  here  .-* '  I  told  him  I  had.  He  asked, 
'What  case  is  it .-" '  I  told  him,  'The  Lord's.' 
He  emphasized  the  question,  '  Whose  case  f  I 
repeated,  '  The  Lord's  case,  sir!  He  begged  par- 
don and  walked  away. 

I  preached  on  the  Courthouse  steps  at  noon  for 
three  days.  The  last  day  my  meeting  was  broken 
up  by  a  mob  of  six  hundred,  which  came  in,  broke 
open  the  jail  and  took  one  white  and  two  colored 
men  out,  and  hanged  them  all  to  the  same  limb  of 
a  tree. 

The  spring  of  1878  I  was  sick  till  in  May,  but  I 
did  a  little  preaching  and  induced  over  sixty  to 
sign  the  Murphy  temperance  pledge.  In  Septem- 
ber I  was  on  the  camp-ground  at  Beebe  Plains  in 
Canada,  and  saw  in  a  Boston  paper  that  the  yellow 
fever  was  in  my  village  in  Alabama ;  and  that  Dr. 
J.  S.  Bankson,  my  family  physician,  had  died  with 
it  in  Memphis.  I  trusted  the  Lord,  claimed  the 
promise  of  Ps.  91  :  9,   10,  and  started  home.     At 


EXPERIENCES    IN    1877-1879.  355 

Cleveland,  Tenn.,  I  found  quarantine  against  Chat- 
tanooga. I  could  not  go  into  the  city.  I  went  to 
Dalton,  Ga.,  and  found  that  the  stopping  point  for 
all  trains  on  the  W.  &  A.  R.  R.  An  engine  ran 
into  Chattanooga  on  an  errand,  and  I  went  in  on 
it.  There  were  twenty-three  deaths  in  the  city 
that  day.  I  saw  no  buggy  or  other  wheeled  vehi- 
cle of  any  kind  on  the  streets.  I  never  saw  a  man 
smile.  Oh,  it  seemed  that  I  was  in  the  city  of 
death.  Finally,  I  got  a  train  out  home.  I  found 
a  dead  man  in  a  vacated  house.  I  proposed  to 
take  him  out  and  bury  him,  but  not  a  man  would 
help  me.  That  night  some  colored  men  buried 
him  for  forty  dollars,  so  I  was  told." 

In  February,  1879,  I  ^^^  summoned  by  tele- 
graph to  attend  United  States  Court  as  a  witness, 
in  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  when  drawn  up  in  a  line 
with  others  I  refused  to  swear.  The  clerk  asked, 
"Why  won't  you  swear .-'"  I  said,  "  Simply  be- 
cause the  Lord  tells  me  not  to."  He  answered, 
"  Oh,  you  are  too  fast ;  the  Lord  says,  '  Ye  have 
heard  that  it  hath  been  said  by  them  of  old  time, 
thou  shalt  not  forswear  thyself,  but  shalt  perform 
unto  the  Lord  thine  oaths.'"  I  replied,  "Beg 
your  pardon,  sir,  you  are  not  quite  fast  enough  ; 
the  Lord  said  you  have  heard  that  from  them  of 
old  times  ;  but  said  he,  '  I  say  unto  you  szvear  not 
at  all,'  and  I  don't  mean  to  do  it,  sir."  As  he 
stood  looking  me  over,  Judge  Ballard   said,  "  Mr. 


356      AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN    A.   CARGILE. 

Clerk,  let  that  gentleman  take  a  seat  in  the  court- 
room, and  put  these  other  witnesses  under  rule," 
For  thirty-three  days  I  sat  there  and  heard  all  the 
testimony,  and  when  my  turn  would  come  I  sim- 
ply told  my  story  as  a  Christian.  Col.  L.  H.  Fer- 
rill  invited  me  to  supper ;  his  wife,  now  sleeping, 
wanted  me  to  preach  in  their  parlors.  I  did  so  a 
few  evenings  till  the  crowd  became  too  large. 
Then  I  preached  in  a  schoolhouse  on  the  corner 
of  Broadway  and  Clay  Streets,  where  was  formed 
a  church  of  eleven  members,  and  then  crossed  the 
river  into  Jeffersonville,  Ind.,  where  I  spoke  sev- 
eral times  in  the  church  of  our  late  dear  brother, 
Dr.  N.  Field.  So  the  devil  did  not  gain  much  by 
having  me  drawn  from  my  field  of  work  as  a  wit- 
ness against  counterfeiters. 

June  2,  1879,  I  wrote,  "My  eyes  are  still  too 
weak  to  answer  the  many  cheering  letters  I  have 
received ;  but  I  have  not  been  idle.  I  have  spent 
the  time  preaching  when  I  could  scarcely  see  the 
road.  The  work  is  spreading  rapidly  in  Alabama 
and  Tennessee."  In  June  I  went  to  Cowan,  Tenn., 
and  reviewed  a  sermon  on  man,  by  a  sharp  little 
Englishman  calling  himself  Shelldrake.  At  Mun- 
day's  Chapel,  Ala.,  I  had  a  blessed  meeting  with 
Bro.  G.  J.  Hall,  a  Methodist  circuit-rider.  On 
Sept.  II,  I  wrote,  "After  nearly  two  years'  afl3ic- 
tions  I  am  glad  to  say  the  Lord  has  been  gra- 
cious to  me,  and  my  eyes  are  now  much  improved. 


EXPERIENCES   IN    1877-1879.  357 

I  have  been  trying  to  follow  the  leadings  of  the 
Spirit,  and  rejoice  that  it  has  been  so  well." 

I  arranged  to  start  to  the  Springfield  camp- 
meeting,  and  expected  to  go  till  the  day  came. 
But  for  a  week  before  I  had  dark  forebodings 
about  the  trip.  I  tried  in  vain  to  shake  off  those 
feelings. 

It  seemed  that  the  way  before  me  was  hedged 
up,  I  knew  not  why.  I  told  some  friends  I  felt  as 
though  if  I  went  that  some  accident  would  befall 
me.  So  I  declined  going,  and  at  once  engaged  in 
a  meeting  at  our  home  church  with  Bro.  W.  E. 
Cameron,  the  Methodist  minister.  We  continued 
sixteen  days  and  twenty-eight  were  converted,  and 
many  backsliders  reclaimed,  and  Christians  of  all 
denominations  built  up  spiritually.  We  had 
almost  Pentecostal  showers  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  I  have  seen  seventy-five  forward  for  prayer  at 
once.  We  both  opened  our  church  doors.  Eleven 
joined  the  Adventists  and  thirteen  went  to  the 
Methodists.  I  baptized  all  of  them  except  seven, 
who  were  sprinkled  in  the  house. 

Thence  I  went  to  South  Pittsburg,  Tenn.,  to  help 
Bro.  Cameron  in  another  meeting.  Bro.  Douthitt 
was  there.  We  had  not  met  in  meeting  since  he 
excluded  me  from  the  church  in  1873.  I  tried  to 
preach  on  love.  When  I  had  finished  he  rose  and 
said  if  any  one  present  would  pray  for  him  he 
wanted  to  shake  their  hand.     Jumping  from  the 


358     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

stand,  I  threw  my  arms  around  his  neck.  From 
that  day  on  we  have  been  loving  friends  and 
brethren  in  the  Lord.  This  closed  the  year  1879, 
during  which  I  did  a  great-  deal  of  traveling  and 
preaching,  and  was  in  want  of  much  for  comfort. 
I  said  nothing  about  it.  I  had  not  written  much 
for  the  Crisis  lately,  because  I  heard  some  people 
say  that  I  wrote  for  sympathy,  and  I  did  not  wish 
to  reproach  the  cause,  and  resolved  that  I  would 
write  no  more  for  the  Crisis  at  all.  But  brethren 
and  sisters  all  over  the  country  wrote  me  saying, 
"  Why  don't  you  write  more  for  the  Crisis  ?  "  So 
I  have  written  occasionally,  just  to  satisfy  those 
who  are  anxious  to  have  me  write. 


'      CHAPTER   XIII. 

THE    WORK    STARTED    IN    GEORGIA. 

In  September,  1883,  I  received  an  urgent  request 
from  Bro.  S.  Davis,  of  Johnson  Co.,  Ga.,  to  visit 
his  neighborhood  and  preach.  He  had  lived  in 
Florida  years  ago,  and  heard  Eld.  Phineas  A. 
Smith,  of  Rochester,  N.Y.,  preach  these  grand 
truths  that  I  love  so  dearly.  Bro.  Davis  embraced 
the  blessed  hope  there,  and  was  baptized  by  Bro. 
Smith. 

He  was  anxious  for  his  neighbors  to  hear  it. 
He  had  an  appointment  for  me,  and  I  preached  to 
immense  crowds.  One  meeting  there  I  shall  never 
forget.  It  was  on  a  Sunday.  I  attended  with 
Bro.  Moore,  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  God 
blessed  me  with  great  freedom  in  preaching  the 
word,  after  which  we  celebrated  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per, and  it  was  a  wonderful  scene. 

The  house  (Powell's  Chapel)  was  closely  packed. 
Several  Baptists  broke  the  rules  of  their  church  by 
uniting  with  us  in  the  communion.  One  Baptist 
minister  was  standing  at  a  window  without,  and 
feeling  the  power  of  the  Spirit's  presence,  he  asked 
some  men  to  lift  him  up.     He  knew  he  could  not 


360     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

get  in  at  the  door,  on  account  of  the  crowd.  Seiz- 
ing him  by  each  leg,  they  hoisted  him  up  to  the 
window,  and  he  crawled  through  and  made  his  way 
to  the  table  and  partook  of  the  bread  and  wine. 
The  crowds  were  great,  and  the  excitement  and 
interest  high.  Several  said,  "  Organize  a  church." 
I  said,  "  No,  not  now."  One  said,  "  You  can  get 
fifty  members."  I  said,  "I  don't  want  them.  I 
will  go  away  and  let  the  devil  sift  you,  and  after 
a  while  I  will  come  back  and  gather  up  the 
wheat." 

In  a  few  months  I  returned,  to  find  that  the  long- 
range  guns  had  done  their  work  well.  Out  of  the 
great  crowd  who  were  so  anxious  at  the  first  visit, 
only  twelve  were  willing  to  step  out  and  indorse 
the  truth.  I  organized  a  church  with  that  apos- 
tolic number,  and  preached  several  days  in  the 
woods  at  a  place  called  "Gum  Log."  Many  joined 
the  little  church,  among  them  Eld.  B.  G.  Fortner, 
the  man  who  came  through  the  window  to  com- 
mune with  us. 

I  preached  one  night  at  the  house  of  Dr.  S.  M. 
Norris,  who  was  also  a  Baptist  minister,  but  has 
since  embraced  the  truth  and  belongs  to  our  Con- 
ference. The  house  was  jammed  full.  Another 
Baptist  preacher,  Eld.  Jas.  A.  Townsend,  sat  near 
my  feet  on  a  wagon-seat,  and  often  nodded  assent 
to  the  "new  doctrine."  So  he  lost  his  position, 
and  is  now  the  evangelist  for  our  Conference. 


THE   WORK    STARTED    IN   GEORGIA.  36 j 

Behind  the  door  stood  a  peddler  from  Augusta, 
known  as  Jack  Thompson.  When  I  had  finished 
speaking,  he  looked  from  behind  the  door  and 
asked  me  a  few  questions,  which  were  answered  by 
the  word.  He  went  home  and  read  three  weeks ^ 
almost,  day  and  night.  At  last,  springing  from 
his  chair,  he  said  to  his  wife,  "That  man  Cargile 
has  the  truth,  and  I  am  bound  to  indorse  it." 
He  lost  his  cushion  in  Kollock-street  Church.  I 
went  to  Augusta  and  preached  on  the  streets,  and 
ordained  the  said  Jack  Thompson  in  his  house  to 
preach  the  gospel. 

Bro.  T.  P.  Reynolds,  whom  I  had  recently  bap- 
tized from  the  Methodist  Church,  was  ordained  at 
the  same  time.  I  do  not  approve  of  such  ordina- 
tions where  there  is  a  conference  to  do  the  work, 
but  this  was  a  matter  of  necessity.  I  confess  I 
have  made  some  mistakes,  too,  which  I  regret  very 
much. 

I  went  to  Mount  Horeb  Church  (Baptist),  in 
Jefferson  Co.,  where  Eld.  S.  C.  McGahee  was 
pastor.  The  door  was  locked  and  a  crowd  of 
people  in  the  yard.  Capt.  Beasley  gave  me  per- 
mission to  preach  on  his  land  near  by.  The  Pas- 
tor, Bro.  McGahee,  and  another  very  prominent 
Baptist  minister,  who  had  been  several  times  to 
the  Legislature,  Eld.  Jas.  Stapleton,  were  present, 
and  both  refused  to  pray.  I  gave  them  God's 
truth. 


362     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

The  same  Eld.  S.  C.  McGahee  afterward  em- 
braced the  truth,  and  is  very  ably  defending  it 
to-day.  A  church  was  organized  in  his  neighbor- 
hood, called  "  Iron  Hill,"  he  being  now  pastor  of 
it.  Truth  had  now  spread  so  rapidly  that  several 
churches  had  been  organized,  and  the  devil  stirred 
up  against  us.  Some  of  the  very  men  who  at  first 
professed  great  friendship  for  me  and  the  cause, 
on  my  visit  to  Powell's  Chapel,  are  to-day  the 
strongest  enemies.  They  need  backbone  to  with- 
stand the  popular  current.  While  preaching  in 
Jefferson  Co.  I  received  an  invitation  to  visit 
Avera,  a  small  town  on  the  Sandersville  railroad. 
I  sent  an  appointment.  The  day  before  the  time 
arrived,  a  man  came  fifteen  miles  to  tell  me  if  I 
went  to  Avera  I  would  be  killed.  At  the  close 
of  the  service  I  announced  that  I  would  go  to 
Avera  next  day.  He  said  in  amazement,  ^^ Are  you 
going  to  Avera?"  I  answered,  "Have  I  an  ap- 
pointment there.''"  He  said,  "Yes."  I  replied, 
"Well,  it  is  my  business  to  fill  my  appointments." 
He  looked  at  me  very  curiously,  and  said,  "  /'// 
swear  they  II  kill  you  !"  I  told  him  if  God  had  no 
further  work  for  me,  perhaps  they  might,  and  if 
so,  I  would  as  soon  go  that  way  as  any  other ;  but 
if  the  Lord  had  any  more  preaching  for  me  to  do, 
they  would  not  kill  me. 

When  I  arrived  in  Avera  I  found  that  a  notice 
had  been   tacked  on  the  door  of  the  depot,  very 


THE    WORK   STARTED   IN    GEORGIA.  363 

poorly  written,  and  worse  in  orthography.  It  had 
at  the  bottom  a  rude  drawing,  intended,  I  presume^ 
to  represent  a  bundle  of  withes  or  rods<  which  I 
might  expect  to  have  laid  on  my  back  if  I  came. 
I  obtained  the  notice,  and  here  give  a  copy  of  it. 
I  wish  I  could  give  my  readers  a  facsimile  of  the 
handwriting,  but  I  can  not.  I  give  them  the  words 
just  as  they  are  in  the  notice,  but  correct  some 
errors  in  spelling.     It  is  as  follows  :  — 

"NOTICE    TO    ALL    THE    ADVENTISTS 
ROUND    AND    ABOUT    HERE. 

They  had  better  look  out,  for  we  intend  to  stop 
their  process  of  doctrine  and  keep  our  country 
from  going  to  ruin.  And  McGahee  had  better  be 
getting  away  from  this  settlement.  And  Jack 
Thompson  had  better  keep  out  of  this  settlement, 
a-preaching  his  Damned  doctrine ;  and  him  and 
McGahee  had  better  write  to  Cargile  not  to  come 
into  this  country  to  preach  his  Hell-fired  doctrine. 
He  will  never  preach  again.  We  will  be  prepared 
for  him.  We  intend  to  drive  all  the  Advents  out 
of  this  beat  be  —  forty  days,  and  horsewhip  the 
last  one  of  them  till  they  can't  sit  nor  rest.  We 
are  i  hundred  strong.  We  don't  ask  you  no  odds 
at  all,  and  now  look  out  for  yourselves. 

K,  K,  K,  K,      ^eS^^     K'  ^<  ^'  ^^ 


364     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

I  presume  the  K's  were  intended  to  impress  the 
idea  that  they  were  a  band  of  the  "Kuklux  Klan  " 
there,  ready  to  massacre  me  on  my  arrival.  I 
preached  the  first  sermon  in  the  woods  in  sight  of 
a  meeting-house,  to  only  six  persons.  The  audi- 
ence increased  till  there  were  hundreds  out  to 
hear  the  eighth  sermon.  I  baptized  one  old  man, 
and  organized  a  church  with  eight  members. 

In  my  last  talk  I  told  the  people  I  wanted  them 
to  tell  the  man  who  put  that  notice  on  the  depot, 
that  nobody  but  a  coward  would  put  up  such  a 
notice  without  signing  his  name  to  it.  That  such 
a  man  might  hide  behind  a  tree  and  shoot  me,  if 
he  could  be  sure  nobody  would  hear  the  gun  ;  but 
that  he  was  hot  brave  enough  to  face  me  and 
acknowledge  that  he  wrote  that  notice. 

To-day,  praise  God,  our  people  have  built  a 
chapel  there,  and  the  church  is  earnestly  contend- 
ing for  the  truth.  Satan  has  used  men  to  peddle 
slander  and  falsehood,  in  order  to  stop  the  truth 
in  its  onward  march,  but  still  it  spreads.  We  have 
a  Southern  Georgia  Conference  now,  with  about 
a  score  of  preachers  and  more  than  a  thousand 
members. 

Nothing  hinders  truth  so  much  as  the  unchris- 
tian conduct  of  some  of  its  professed  friends. 
*'  Perils  among  false  brethren  "  have  done  more  to 
cripple  my  work,  and  have  caused  me  more  sorrow, 
than  all  the  other  opposition  combined. 


THE    WORK   STARTED   IN   GEORGIA.  365 

I  held  an  interesting  meeting  in  Swainsboro, 
where  I  found  true  and  appreciative  friends. 
Went  to  Fortner  (now  Blackville)  and  preached 
in  the  woods  in  the  GilHs  Settlement  till  a  church 
was  organized  there ;  they  now  have  a  house. 
There  are  true  friends  to  the  cause  in  Wrightsville, 
Condor,  and  many  other  places  I  could  mention. 
Many  times  I  have  preached  in  different  places  in 
the  great  State  of  Georgia,  and  many  honest 
people  have  accepted  the  truth.  The  ministers 
call  them  the  chaff,  but  I  never  knew  men  to  make 
so  much  fuss  about  losing  a  little  chaff.  It  is  the 
loss  of  wheat  that  causes  the  priestly  howl.  One 
said  nobody  believed  it  but  a  few  of  the  most 
ignorant  ones  of  the  country.  An  old  gentleman 
replied,  "  Well,  if  that  be  true,  Cargile  has  a 
streak  of  fools  fifty  miles  wide  and  three  hundred 
miles  long  right  through  the  State  of  Georgia." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

MAJOR-GENERAL     MACK     AND     CORPORAL     CARGILE. 

This  chapter  will  be  largely  taken  from  a  cor- 
respondence in  the  Enterprise,  published  in  Gib- 
son, Glascock  Co.,  Ga.  The  first  article  giving 
rise  to  the  discussion  was  in  the  issue  of  June  5, 
1886,  as  follows  :  — 

A   CARGILIST   TALKS. 

A  CONTRIBUTOR   WRITES    UP    HIS    "HARMONY    DOTS." 

—  No.    I. 

June  i,  1886. 

On  the  third  Sunday  in  May  last  was  heard  at 
the  Rivers'  schoolhouse,  heavy  firing  from  one  of 
those  long-range  fellows  at  the  Second  Advent 
preacher,  who  was  at  that  time  about  Battle 
Ground  P.O.,  Johnson  Co.,  Ga.,  on  his  way  to 
this  community.  He  arrived  at  Mount  Horeb 
Church  on  Saturday,  the  22d,  according  to  ap- 
pointment, and  preached  to  a  small,  but  an  intelli- 
gent congregation  of  people,  who  live  at  home  and 
board  at  the  same  place. 

In  the  evening  he  organized  a  church  at  Har- 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK   AND   CORP.  CARGILE.       367 

mony  schoolhouse,  but  a  short  distance  from  that 
brave,  long-range  fellow,  and  preached  to  a  large 
crowd.  Next  day  (Sunday)  he  preached  to  a  very 
large  audience  in  the  grove  near  the  church  where 
he  preached  the  day  before,  on  the  subject  of 
God's  sovereign  will  and  man's  accountability. 
On  that  occasion  were  represented,  besides  this 
(Jefferson)  county,  Burke,  Richmond,  Columbia, 
McDufifie,  Warren,  and  Glascock  Counties.  The 
people  were  uncomfortably  situated,  notwithstand- 
ing which  fact  they  seemed  to  be  much  interested, 
and  while  it  is  not  common  under  such  circum- 
stances, the  very  best  of  order  was  observed. 
That  evening,  night,  next  day  (Monday),  and 
Monday  night  he  preached  in  the  neighborhood 
of  that  brave,  long-range  fellow,  who  all  this  time 
seems  to  have  crawled  into  his  secluded  staying 
place,  notwithstanding  he  had  been  solicited  and 
urged  to  meet  the  Advent  preacher,  state  his  own 
proposition,  and  discuss  the  objectionable  doctrine. 

But  he  is  gone  now,  and  we  listen  for  the  long- 
range  guns  to  begin  to  bang  at  him. 

Under  such  circumstances  we  call  to  mind  the 
hireling  shepherd  in  the  loth  chapter  of  John. 
Read  and  see  how  far  he  was  interested  in  the 
flock. 

Not  in  a  boasting  manner  —  for  God  forbid  that 
we  should  boast — we  take  the  liberty  to  invite 
any  one,  or  more  of  any  denomination,  who  objects 


368     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

to  the  doctrine  of  Eld.  Cargile,  whose  field  of 
labor  is  as  large  as  the  Southern  States,  to  make 
their  own  propositions  and  meet  him  when  he 
returns  in  the  fall.  Let  it  be  known  in  time,  and 
we  will  arrange  for  the  debate  from  one  to  five 
days  or  more.  He  will  discuss  the  plain  teaching 
of  the  Bible,  leaving  out  Platonic  philosophy  or 
any  of  men's  conjectures. 

God's  word  was  originally  delivered  in  sim- 
plicity, and  in  the  same  manner  does  Eld.  Cargile 
propose  to  preach. 

He  is  not  hunting  controversy,  for  he  contends 
that  he  is  sent  to  lost  and  perishing  sinners,  to 
hold  up  to  them  Jesus  as  the  only  way  and  plan  of 
salvation. 

Many  shoot  at  him  without  knowing  which  limb 
he  is  on;  and  idiots  and  bigots  refuse  to  hear  him. 
The  first  are  to  be  pitied  for  knowing  no  better, 
and  the  last  for  doing  no  better.  Bigots  ignore 
the  teaching  or  admonition  of  the  word  to  prove 
all  things:  "Hold  fast  that  which  is  good."  i 
Thess.  5:21. 

Some  may  object  to  hearing  Cargile  on  account 
of  his  nativity  ;  but  he  is  a  Southern  man,  was  born 
in  Henry  Co.,  Mo.,  and  came  to  his  present  home 
in  Alabama  at  two  years  of  age.  As  we  under- 
stand it,  he  preaches  the  simple  truths  of  the 
Bible.  Is  it  possible  that  we  live  in  the  day  when 
men  will  not  endure  sound  doctrine  ?     Or  if  it  be 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK    AND   CORP.  CARGILE.       369 

rotten,  why  will  not  our  divines  discuss  the  ob- 
jectionable portions  with  him  before  the  people 
whom  they  have  been  so  long  teaching  ? 

It  is  often  asserted  that  it  is  a  new  doctrine, 
and  we  admit  to  some  it  may  be,  and  to  all  to- 
whom  the  truths  of  the  Bible  are  new.  And' 
it  is  said  further  by  those  that  know  no  better 
that  the  Second  Adventists  have  no  creed.  In 
answer  to  this  we  say,  If  the  Bible  is  authority 
and  a  creed,  we  have  one,  and  would  have  no 
other.  "  One  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism."  — 
Eph.  4  :  5. 

Second  Adventists  claim  to  stand  on  the  broad 
platform  of  religious  liberty  and  Christian  privi- 
leges and  Christian  Union. 

Friends,  we  are  crowded  to  a  choice  not  merely 
of  theology,  but  to  a  choice  between  destructive 
heresies  and  the  "  truth  in  Jesus."  This  includes 
his  rights  as  Lord,  God,  Redeemer,  Judge  and 
universal  Sovereign.  Tremendous  issues  hang 
upon  the  swing  of  leading  human  wills.  World- 
wisdom  and  antichrist  press  upon  us.  Shall  we 
take  "  the  wisdom  of  this  world  that  perishes  with 
the  using  "  ?  Nay  ;  verily  let  us  keep  "  the  word 
of  God,  wherein  is  hid  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom 
and  knowledge,  enduring  forever." 

Opposition  is  only  building  churches  for  Cargile. 
If  he  is  preaching  such  dangerous  doctrines,  it 
certainly  is  the  duty  of  God's  faithful  watchmen 


370     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

to  meet  him  and  expose  the  heresy.  This  long- 
range  shooting  effects  nothing.  It  is  worse  than 
the  bushwhackers  in  the  late  war,  for  they  did  get 
close  enough  to  the  target  to  do  execution  some- 
times. 

Cargile  says  religion  is  love,  and  that  sectarian- 
ism is  church-anity  in  the  guise  of  Christianity. 
He  proves  his  love  by  his  kindness  and  fellowship 
for  all.  His  enemies  are  those  who  know  the  least 
about  him.  He  is  willing  to  meet  any  man  of 
good,  Christian  character  and  discuss  the  differ- 
ence in  a  loving,  Christian  spirit.  Now  let  the 
churches  get  the  man  in  whose  hands  they  are 
willing  to  risk  their  cause,  and  let  him  and  Cargile 
arrange  for  a  debate.  Or,  if  they  won't  do  this, 
I  suggest  that  they  call  off  the  hounds  and  stop 
the  fight.  Before  closing  I  will  say  that  observa- 
tion has  impressed  my  mind  that  a  great  revolu- 
tion is  agitating  the  minds  of  the  people,  especially 
where  Mr.  Cargile  has  been  preaching.  Not  long 
since,  and  befoi^e  Cargile  came  to  his  appointment 

in  this  county,  some had  the  audacity  to  put 

up  a  notice  on  the  depot  at  Avera,  as  a  threat 
over  the  letters  K,  K,  K ;  a  complete  betrayal  of 
his  lack  of  backbone  or .  Cargile,  notwith- 
standing, went  to  his  appointments,  preached, 
organized  a  church,  and  left  the  insignificant 
wallowing  in  his  wrath.  God  help  htm  repent! 
Reporter. 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK   AND   CORP.  CARGILE.       37 1 
THOSE    "HARMONY    DOTS." No.    2. 

In  your  paper  of  June  5  I  see  an  article  from 
"  Reporter,"  and  while  I  have  no  desire  to  engage 
in  a  religious  controversy  with  any  one,  said  article 
requires  some  notice. 

Reporter  is  willing  to  arrange  a  debate  with 
Cargile,  and  wants  to  know  why  he  is  not  met  by 
some  one  opposed  to  his  teachings.  R.  has  much 
to  learn  yet.  These  public  discussions  upon  the 
stump  stir  up  the  worst  elements  of  human  nature, 
are  of  no  service  to  the  cause  of  truth,  and  will 
not  do  for  politics,  to  say  nothing  of  religion. 
They  have  originated  duels  and  life-time  animosi- 
ties, have  caused  preachers  as  well  as  politicians 
to  disgrace  themselves  under  the  impulse  of  pas- 
sion or  excitement.  It  is  well  known  that  both 
parties  on  such  occasions  meet  to  contend  for 
victory  and  not  truth. 

In  answer  to  the  charge  that  his  denomination 
has  no  creed,  R.  points  to  the  Bible  and  says, 
"That  is  our  creed."  This  reminds  me  of  a  little 
circumstance  that  occurred  the  other  day.  Meet- 
ing an  educated  tramp  upon  the  highway,  I  in- 
quired, "  Where  is  your  home  ? "  "  Home  !  "  said 
he,  "  Why  do  you  ask  me  such  a  question  ?  Look 
out  upon  this  grand  globe  with  its  verdant  plains, 
majestic  rivers,  towering  mountains,  and  rolling 
oceans  ;  the  whole  canopied  by  as  beautiful  a  sky 


372     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

as  ever  awoke  the  melody  of  Tasso's  lyre  !  This 
world  is  my  home  !  "  I  soon  discovered  that  the 
poor  tramp  had  no  home.  In  these  modern  times 
of  isms  and  schisms,  there  are  too  many  soul- 
destroying  heresies  that  profess  to  be  based  upon 
the  Bible  to  admit  the  validity  of  R.'s  plea  —  and 
just  here  I  will  tell  R.  a  secret,  if  he  doesn't  know 
it  :  a  creedless  denomination  never  was  successful, 
and  never  will  be. 

R.  remarks  further  :  The  "  Second  Adventists 
claim  to  stand  on  the  broad  platform  of  religious 
liberty,  etc.  Is  that  the  reason  why  they  hover 
around  our  churches  and  distract  and  divide  them 
as  much  as  possible.'*  And  drag  to  light  every 
fault,  real  or  imaginary,  of  our  preachers  and 
churches,  thereby  trying  to  cut  the  sinews  of  one 
of  the  great  moral  powers  of  the  land,  and  weaken 
confidence  in  one  among  the  mightiest  instrumen- 
talities that  was  ever  wielded  against  satan  and 
hell  .^  Suppose,  for  the  sake  of  argument,  that 
they  could  succeed  in  pulling  down  our  churches 
and  establishing  their  miserable  substitute  upon 
the  ruins  thereof,  is  there  any  good  reason  to 
believe  that  the  ministers  and  members  of  this 
slack-twisted  concern  would  be  any  better  than 
ours  } 

It  is  thought  by  some  that  Cargile  is  a  more 
dangerous  enemy  to  God's  cause  than  a  straight 
out-and-out     infidel  ;     for    C preaches    just 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK   AND   CORP.  CARGILE.       373 

enough  orthodoxy  to  sugar-coat  his  heretical 
pills  :  and  because  some  Baptists  do  not  turn 
out  to  hear  this  firebrand  and  disorganizer,  they 
are  called  "  idiots  and  bigots  "  —  "  O  consistency, 
thou  art  a  jewel  !  " 

R.  remarks  again  :  "Opposition  is  only  building 
churches  for  Cargile."  Well,  isn't  it  strange  that 
people  will  fuss  about  the  shower  that  makes  the 
corn  grow  .'' 

But  the  strangest  thing  in  his  article  is  this  : 
"  Observation  has  impressed  my  mind  that  a  great 
revolution  is  agitating  the  minds  of  the  people, 
especially  where  Cargile  has  preached."  Yes,  a 
tremendous  revolution  !  'A  tempest  in  a  tea- 
kettle !  Let  him  not  deceive  himself  ;  a  great 
revolution  may  be  agitating  his  mind,  but  that  is 
neither  strange  nor  significant.  Observation  has 
impressed  my  mind  that  there  is  something  agi- 
tating the  minds  of  the  people  not  very  compli- 
mentary to  either  Cargile  or  his  system.  A 
scheme  so  replete  with  absurdity  and  heresy  might 
have  made  progress  during  the  "  dark  ages,"  but 
before  the  blazing  light  of  the  19th  century  it  will 
melt  away  like  the  morning  dew. 

"  Advent  Christians  ;  "  their  very  name  is  brim- 
ful of  absurdity,  so  far  as  the  qualifying  adjective 
"  advent  "  is  concerned  ;  it  has  given  scope  to  the 
wildest  speculations  imaginable,  and  has  caused 
many,  who  looked  at  the   Bible  through   Advent 


374     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

spectacles,  to  make  themselves  supremely  ridicu- 
lous !  "  While  disappointment  continues  to  laugh 
at  hope's  career."  There  is  an  old  adage  to  this 
effect :  "  Look  before  you  leap."  Some  have 
rushed  prematurely  and  unwittingly  into  the  trap 
that  Cargile  set  for  them,  and  the  day  is  not  far 
distant  when  they  will  be  ashamed  of  their  folly, 
and  will  wish  that  they  had  never  seen  or  heard 
of  Cargile.  In  the  very  nature  of  things,  he  can 
only  feed  on  "  pastures  new."  Mack. 

Jefferson  Co.,  Ga. 

On  arriving  in  Bartow,  Ga.,  the  second  day  of 
October,  1886,  Dr.  J.  S.  Bell  handed  me  a  copy  of 
the  Enterprise,  published  July  31  of  the  same  year. 
It  contained  an  article  written  by  an  able  minister 
signing  himself  "  Mack."  It  claims  to  be  a  reply 
to  the  above  article  in  a  previous  issue,  written  by 
*' Reporter,"  who  had  been  to  my  meetings  and 
had  adopted  the  Adventual  truths.  I  make  an 
extract  from  Bro.  Mack's  article  as  follows  :  — 

THE   CARGILITE   AGITATION. 

the  second  edition  of  "harmony  dots." 

July  31,  1886. 

"  Reporter's  "   reply   is    flat,    insipid,    pointless. 

He  was  not  able  to  muster  up  even  a  qimsz-argu- 

ment   against  any   position   that    I   assailed.     He 

must  have  written  some  warm  day,  directly  after 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK   AND   CORP.  CARGILE.       375 

dianer,  when  his  stomach  was  full  of  chicken-pie. 
But  knowing  him  to  be  a  man  of  decided  ability, 
I  must  attribute  his  failure  to  the  weakness  of  his 
cause  rather  than  to  want  of  brain.  .  .  .  But  he 
has  joined  the  Advent  Church  and  can  now  get  an 
office — that  of  porter  or  doorkeeper  of  a  bush- 
arbor.  I  once  heard  Bishop  Pierce,  in  a  sermon, 
make  use  of  the  phrase,  "bush-curtain  Christians." 
I  do  not  know  that  he  alluded  to  the  Adventists, 
but  the  cap  fits  them  remarkably  well. 

He  gives  us  to  understand  that  Mack's  satanic 
dogma,  ''thou  skalt  not  surely  die,''  or,  to  quote  it 
correctly,  "ye  shall  not  surely  die,"  is  in  danger. 
I  want  R.  to  distinctly  understand  that  I  do  not 
go  to  either  Cargile  or  "old  Scratch"  for  my 
dogmas.  If  he  wishes  to  know  my  dogma  in 
reference  to  the  future  punishment  of  the  wicked, 
I  refer  him  to  the  twenty-fifth  chapter  of  Matthew 
and  Mark,  where  he  will  find  it  in  the  plain,  unam- 
biguous language  of  Christ  himself  :  authority  ex 
catJiedra. 

I  gave  reasons  why  a  public  debate  with  Cargile 
would  not  promote  the  cause  of  truth,  that  ought 
to  satisfy  every  intelligent  man  conversant  with 
history  and  the  philosophy  of  human  nature,  but 
R.  doesn't  seem  to  be  exactly  satisfied,  and  so  I 
will  give  him  an  additional  reason  why  Baptists 
can  not  debate  with  Cargile,  his  Delphian  Oracle. 
According  to  the  "code  of  honor,"  both  parties  in 


376     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.   CAKGILE. 

the  fight  must  occupy  the  same  plane  of  dignity^ 
honor,  and  respectability  ;  but  the  Advent  Church, 
compared  with  the  Baptist,  is  nothing  more  than 
a  microscopic  bagatelle.  Can  a  major-general 
stoop  low  enough  to  meet  a  corporal  upon  the 
"field  of  honor"?  Can  the  majestic  eagle  that 
soars  among  the  Alpine  heights  come  down  to 
fight  a  tomtit  ?  I  know  that  R.  considers  his  man 
Cargile  a  royal  lion  of  the  desert,  and  imagines 
that  when  this  mighty  something  —  I  hardly  know 
whether  to  call  him  a  man  or  a  beast,  as  he  claims 
to  have  no  soul  —  shakes  his  mane  in  the  breeze 
and  roars,  that  the  very  earth  trembles  beneath 
his  feet !  But  we  Baptists  do  not  view  him  in 
that  light,  but  look  upon  him  very  complacently  as 
nothing  more  than  a  gnat  upon  the  bull's  horn. 
Why  should  we  meet  him  in  debate  and  galvanize 
a  little  respectability  into  him  and  his  bogus  theol- 
ogy ?     What  harm  can  he  do  us  ? 

But  a  remark  about  the  Baptist  denomination, 
—  we  haven't  space  for  statistics,  or  we  could  make 
an  enormous  showing.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  its 
origin  is  hid  in  the  dark  shadows  of  a  remote  antiq- 
uity ;  and  that  through  the  ages,  though  con- 
stantly confronted  by  the  most  formidable  oppo- 
sition that  could  be  brought  against  it,  it  has 
steadily  marched  forward,  conquering  and  to  con- 
quer, with  victory  inscribed  upon  its  banner,  and 
glory   emblazoned   upon   its    brow,  until   now  "  it 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK   AND   CORP.  GARGILE.       ^JJ 

stretches  out  its  arms  like  seas  and  grasps  in  all 
the  shore  !  "  Based  squarely  and  firmly  upon  the 
Bible,  with  God's  spirit  ever  ready  to  lead  and 
guide,  its  achievements  to-day  astonish  the  world  ! 
It  is  marching,  to  say  the  least,  fully  abreast  with 
the  strongest  and  most  influential  denominations 
in  Christendom  ;  and  with  its  vast  numbers  of 
churches,  ministers,  and  printing-presses  that  are 
distributing  Bibles,  tracts,  and  religious  literature 
to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  it  is  working  a  moral 
revolution  in  the  present  and  future  destiny  of 
nations  that  nothing  less  than  eternity  itself  can 
measure :  and  it  will  roll  on  in  ever-increasing 
volume  until  Gabriel's  trump  shall  sound  earth's 
funeral  knell ! 

The  Advent  Church !  I  opened  a  book  the 
other  day  that  describes  the  different  denomina- 
tions of  the  world,  and  found  that  the  Adventists 
were  scarcely  noticed  !  Only  seven  lines  given  to 
them,  and  the  most  of  these  used  for  the  purpose 
of  stating  that  they  do  not  agree  with  each  other. 

Well,  who  expects  them  to  agree  when  they  are 
creedless,  and  are  constantly  perverting  the  word 
of  God  from.  Genesis  to  Revelation,  and  running 
wild,  visionary  theories  through  the  book  of 
Daniel  and  the  Apocalypse,  that  ought  to  disgust 
every  fifteen-year-old  boy ! 

Can  the  Baptist  be  expected  to  engage  in  a 
formal  discussion  with  Cargile,  who  is  the  expo- 


378     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

nent  of  this  church,  who  is  loaded  down  with 
sophistry  and  nonsense  sufficient  to  overwhelm 
and  crush  him  without  any  outside  pressure  ? 
Give  him  rope  and  let  him  hang  himself,  that's  the 
idea.  Mack. 

Jefferson  Co  ,   Ga. 

I  replied  to  the  above  assault  in  a  letter  pub- 
lished in  the  same  paper  on  Nov.  27,  1886,  as 
follows  :  — 

CORPORAL    CARGILE    TO   MAJOR- 
GENERAL   MACK. 

CARGILE    REPLIES    TO    AN    ARTICLE    WRITTEN    BY 

MACK,    PUBLISHED    JULY    3 1,    AND    DEFENDS 

HIS    DOCTRINE. 

Mr.  Editor:  —  By  your  kind  permission  I  wish 
through  your  columns  to  give  General  (.•')  Mack 
a  regular  and  polite  salute,  according  to  the  best 
of  my  limited  knowledge  of  military  tactics.  Eor 
you  must  know  that  I  am  green  and  awkward, 
having  but  recently  been  honored  with  a  promo- 
tion to  the  rank  of  corporal. 

I  should  consider  myself  dull  indeed  if  I  did 
not  know  that  I  am  corporal,  for  Major-General 
Mack  recognized  me  as  such  in  his  reply  to  "  Re- 
porter "  in  your  issue  of  July  31. 

And   now,  sir,  realizing  my  unworthiness,  and 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK    AND   CORP.  CARGILE.       379 

feeling  my  insignificance,  I  address  myself  to  His 
Royal  Highness  in  deep  and,  I  trust,  with  becom- 
ing humility. 

My  dear  and  much  esteemed  friend.  Major- 
General  Mack  :  —  Will  you  please  allow  me,  sir,  to 
signify  my  inexpressible  gratitude  to  you  for  the 
honor  conferred  on  me  by  recognizing  me  as  cor- 
poral in  the  King's  army,  in  which  army  you  take 
to  your  honorable  self  the  distinguished  title  of 
Major-Gen  era! ! 

And  now,  general,  will  you  allow  me,  sir,  to 
reply  to  some  of  your  ideas  as  expressed  in  your 
communication  to  "  Reporter,"  published  in  the 
Etitcrprisc  of  July  31. 

You  say,  sir,  that  "according  to  the  'code  of 
honor,'  both  parties  in  the  fight  must  occupy  the 
.same  plane  of  dignity,  honor,  and  respectability  ; 
but  the  Advent  Church  compared  with  the  Bap- 
tist is  nothing  more  than  a  microscopic  bagatelle. 
Can  a  major-general  stoop  low  enough  to  meet  a 
corporal  upon  the  field  of  honor  }  Can  the  majes- 
tic eagle  that  soars  among  the  Alpine  heights 
come  down  to  fight  a  tomtit  }  " 

I  must  confess,  general,  that  I  thought  that  I 
had  known  arrogance  before,  but  not  in  this 
degree,  as  manifested  by  your  distinguished  self. 
What  would  you  think,  sir,  of  those  humble  fisher- 
men and  tent-makers  if  they  had  exalted  them- 
selves to  such  a  pitch  ?     On  the   contrary,  they 


38o     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

were  humble,  unassuming,  and  loving.  They  did 
not  exalt  themselves  even  to  a  corporal's  rank. 
They  were  content  with  a  private's  place,  for  they 
knew  it  was  the  rank  and  file  of  the  humble  but 
brave  soldiery  who  did  the  execution  in  battle, 
while  the  major-generals  stood  off  and  did  the 
crowing  and  got  the  honor.  Now,  general,  I  sug- 
gest that  you  consider  well  the  character  of  and 
treatment  received  by  our  Jesus  and  his  little 
band  of  despised  followers.  How  does  it  comport 
with  the  spirit  of  the  lowly  Nazarene  to  boast  of 
the  "enormous  showing".^  We  Adventists  only 
have  about  three  hundred  thousand  members  in 
the  United  States,  but  when  we  compare  our  bun- 
dle of  truth  with  yours,  I  think,  sir,  your  noble 
comparison  of  the  "microscopic  bagatelle  "  is  won- 
derfully reversed.  No,  general,  the  question  is 
not  who  is  most  honorable  in  this  world,  or  who 
has  the  biggest  stock  of  arrogance,  but  the  ques- 
tion is,  who  has  the  truth  ? 

I  hope  some  major-general,  either  self-styled  or 
•otherwise,  will  "  stoop  low  enough  "  just  to  let  the 
little  "  gnat  upon  the  bull's  horn  "  give  him  a  fair 
chance  to  expose  the  doctrines  he  loves  and 
preaches.  You  can  never  do  any  effectual  work 
by  shooting  at  me  all  the  way  from  Georgia  to 
Alabama.  If  your  guns  would  hold  up,  your 
ammunition  is  too  weak  to  throw  your  great  (i*) 
bombs   so  far.     And   then  you  would  not   be  so 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK   AND   CORP.  CARGILE.      38 1 

liable  to  misrepresent  us  as  you  do  in  the  follow- 
ing language :  "  I  hardly  know  whether  to  call 
him  a  man  or  a  beast,  as  he  claims  to  have  no 
soul." 

I  believe,  sir,  that  I  am  composed  of  soul, 
spirit,  and  body.  —  i  Thess.  5  :  23.  But  I  do  not  be- 
lieve that  any  one  of  the  three  survives  the  stroke 
of  death,  and  lives  in  a  state  of  consciousness. 

Now,  general,  can  you  produce  one  passage  to 
prove  that  any  one  of  them  lives  as  an  entity  when 
separated  by  death  .''  I  ask  for  only  one  passage 
from  the  word  of  God. 

If  your  honor  can  produce  it,  ev^en  by  the  assist- 
ance of  all  the  other  major-generals.  Corporal 
Cargile  will  pay  one  hundred  dollars  for  said  pas- 
sage. It  would  pay  well  to  give  the  price,  for 
then  he  could  soon  be  a  major-general,  too,  and 
oh,  what  a  nice  time  he  would  have !  But  if  you 
can  not,  all  of  you  together,  show  such  a  passage, 
I  shall  have  to  content  myself  with  a  corporal's 
rank  in  the  tomtit's  cozy  little  retreat. 

Now,  general,  in  conclusion,  let  me  say,  if  you 
or  any  other  general  want  to  refute  the  grand  old 
Bible  doctrines  I  preach,  I  hope  you  will  do  it  like 
Christians.  If  you  can't  meet  me  like  Christian 
men,  why,  then,  have  backbone  enough  to  acknowl- 
edge the  corn,  and  come  over.  We  will  find  a 
"bush  arbor"  for  you,  as  I  have  for  over  six  hun- 
dred in  your  State  since  my  first   visit  in   1882. 


382     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

Don't  be  afraid  of  "  galvanizing  a  little  respecta- 
bility into  him  and  his  bogus  theology." 

If  you  have  no  other  kind  in  stock  except  "  gal- 
vanized," just  come  ahead.  "Give  him  rope  and 
let  him  hang  himself  ;  "  that's  the  best.  Yes,  you 
have  been  giving  a  long  rope,  and  instead  of  hang- 
ing himself,  as  you  say,  he  captures  your  sheep. 
Just  see  the  Lord's  words  about  the  hireling  when 
the  wolf  Cometh.  One  of  your  generals  intimated 
that  we  are  a  wolf,  but  we  never  met  many  shep- 
herds in  Georgia. 

Well,  now,  general,  in  much  love  and  due  re- 
spect, I  say,  the  Lord  bless  and  keep  you  safely 

through. 

Yours,  for  trutJi, 

Corporal  Cargile. 

The  distinguished  brother  then  wrote  in  the 
issue  of  Dec.  18,  1886,  as  follows  :  — 

MACK    REPLIES   TO    CARGILE.^ 

A    DISCUSSION    OF     THE     COMPARATIVE     MERITS     OF 
THE    BAPTIST    AND    ADVENT    DOCTRINE. 

In  the  Enterprise  of  Nov.  27,  I  find  an  article 
from  Bro.  Cargile  that  purports  to  be  a  reply 
to  one  written  by  me,  published  in  the  same  paper 
the  31st  of  last  July. 

If  Bro.  C 's  mental  perceptions  are  as  obtuse 

when  brought  to  bear  upon  the  Scriptures  as  upon 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK   AND   CORP.  CARGILE.       383 

that  article,  his  exegesis  of  holy  writ  is  worthless. 
He  holds  me  up  before  the  public  in  the  unenviable 
light  of  self-styled  major-general.  To  call  myself  a 
general  was  a  thought  that  never  entered  my  head. 
I  was  running  a  contrast  between  the  Baptist  de- 
nomination and  the  Advent,  not  between  individ- 
uals. Major-general  and  eagle  upon  the  one  hand^ 
and  corporal  and  tomtit  on  the  other,  represent  in 
my  article  denominations,  not  individuals. 

I  don't  charge  Bro.  C with  misrepresenting 

intentionally,  but  the  length  of  time  intervening 
between  my  article  and  his  gave  him  a  fine  oppor- 
tunity to  do  so,  if  inclined.  Then,  again,  he  is  so 
gifted  in  irony  and  wit,  that  representing  me  in  a 
false  light  before  the  public  would  give  him  an 
opportunity  to  display  his  peculiar  gifts  to  the 
best  advantage.  Such  a  temptation  is  rather  too 
strong  to  be  resisted  by  weak  human  nature. 

It  is  very  seldom  that  one  of  our  major-generals 
or  D.D.'s  pays  any  special  attention  to  the  Advent 
speck  that  has  loomed  up  upon  the  theological 
horizon.  We  never  call  out  a  "  ship  of  the  line  " 
to  accomplish  what  may  be  done  by  a  small  gun- 
boat. But  let  me  whisper  in  his  ear  that  our  D.D.'s 
are  lazily  watching  his  cause  out  of  one  corner  of 
the  eye,  and  if  it  should  make  sufficient  progress 
—  which  is  very  improbable  —  to  alarm  their  fears, 
they  will  open  fire  upon  it  from  Canada  to  the 
gulf,  and  in  a  short  time  it  will  be  where  he  says 


384     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

the  soul  of  a  dead  man  is  —  just  nowhere!  The 
Know-nothing  party — I  was  a  know-nothing  — 
was  allowed  to  march  along  unmolested  until  a 
certain  point  of  expansion  was  reached,  then 
Stephens,  Toombs,  Johnson,  and  other  big  politi- 
cal guns,  opened  fire  upon  it,  and  the  result  is  too 
well  known  to  need  repeating. 

Bro.  C charges  me  with  "arrogance  "  sub- 
lime, because  I  spoke  in  loving  terms  of  the  Baptist 
denomination.  Well,  if  earnest  and  strong  state- 
ments of  facts  are  "arrogance,"  I  plead  guilty; 
but  I  haven't  so  learned  the  dictionary.     But  it  is 

whispered  round  that  Bro.  C himself,  when  he 

preaches  in  one  county,  is  very  fond  of  telling 
what  he  has  accomplished  in  other  counties  and 
places. 

Now,  Bro.C ,  let  us  agree  that  it's  much  easier 

to  give  advice  than  to  follow  it.  Even  in  his  last 
article  he  tells  that  in  a  few  years  the  Advents 
have  become  six  hundred  strong  in  Georgia,  the 
Empire  State  of  the  South.  What  a  tremendous 
showing !  and  in  the  United  States  they  claim 
three  hundred  thousand  out  of  a  population  of 
sixty  million —  Tremendous  ! 

He  also  tells  us  that  I  called  him  a  "gnat  upon 
a  bull's  horn."  Here  again  he  misunderstood  the 
intention  of  expression.  As  the  story  goes,  the 
gnat  remarked  to  the  bull  that  if  he  (the  gnat) 
was  incommoding  him  in  any  way,  let  him  know  it 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK    AND   CORP.  CARGILE.       385 

and  he  would  get  off.  Bull  replied,  "  Make  your- 
self easy  ;  didn't  know  you  were  there."  My  inten- 
tion was  to  represent  Bro.  C ,  when  linked  to 

his  Advent  theology,  as  nothing  more  than  a  gnat 
upon  the  great  horn  of  Orthodoxy.     So  far  as  Bro. 

C individually  is  concerned,  I   am   willing  to 

endorse  the  general  verdict  of  both  friend  and  foe 
that  he  is  a  man  of  decided  ability.  But,  never- 
theless, a  glance  at  the  general  contour  of  his 
cranium  would  convince  a  phrenologist  that  he  is 
a  man  possessing  both  strong  and  weak  points. 
The  influence  of  the  latter,  I  have  no  doubt,  set- 
tled him  upon  the  Advent  side  of  the  fence. 

Well,  if  my  gnat  gave  him  offense,  I  hope  that 
my  explanation  of  it  will  not  ruffle  a  hair  upon 
the  crown  of  his  head. 

He  also  tells  us  that  we  gave  him  rope,  ex- 
pecting him  to  hang  himself,  but  instead  of  so 
doing  he  has  "captured  our  sheep."  In  his  ser- 
mons he  gives  us  to  understand  that  it  is  not  right, 
when  one  proposes  to  join  the  church,  to  require 
an  experience  in  order  to  ascertain  whether  the 
one  is  a  Christian  or  not.  "  Oh,  that  would  be 
judging,  —  and  God  is  the  only  one  that  has  the 
right  to  judge."  Does  he  preach  one  thing  and 
practise  another  }  He  has  judged  and  decided  the 
captured  ones  to  be  "  sheep,"  even  without  an 
experience.  I  will  close  this  point  with  a  simple 
hint.     The  Baptist  denomination  is  engaged  in  a 


386    AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.  CARGILE. 

great  work  for  the  salvation  of  sinners  and  the 
glory  of  God.  It  needs  solid  men  in  every  re- 
spect. The  unstable  and  fickle-minded,  that  are 
shaken  and  moved  by  every  wind  of  doctrine,  will 
suit  some  other  denomination  better  than  ours.  We 
have  a  few  more  belonging  to  the  latter  class  still 
on  hand,  that  we  hope  he  will  finally  capture. 

But  his  proselytes  and  others  who  follow  him 
are  not  to  be  envied.  They  belong  to  a  creedless 
denomination.  One  of  the  most  gifted  Advent 
writers  says  the  reason  why  they  have  no  written, 
definite  creed,  is  because  they  want  the  liberty  of 
"keeping  up  with  the  progress  of  light  and  truth." 
A  very  significant  expression  !  How  many  changes 
will  their  faith  undergo  in  the  next  ten  years  .-* 
Who  is  to  decide  when  changes  are  necessary  to 
keep  up  with  "the  progress  of  light  and  truth".? 
And  how  are  these  changes  to  be  fastened  upon 
the  members  ?  The  truth  is,  they  are  floating 
about  in  the  old  Advent  schooner  upon  an  unex- 
plored ocean  of  uncertainty,  without  chart  or  com- 
pass, not  knowing  whether  the  ice-fields  of  the 
Arctic  regions,  or  the  burning  sands  of  Africa,  or 
■what  maelstrom  will  finally  scoop  them  in  !  Awful ! 
We  are  told  by  the  learned  that  the  most  of  mate- 
rialists are  infidels,  and  by  everybody  that  "birds 
of  a  feather  will  flock  together."  Perhaps  this 
key  can  unlock  their  future  and  ultimate  destiny. 

Again   he  says   that  I  misrepresent  him  in  the 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK   AND   CORP.  CARGILE.       387 

following  expression  that  he  quotes  from  my  arti- 
cle, to  wit  :  "  I  hardly  know  whether  to  call  him  a 
man  or  a  beast,  as  he  claims  to  have  no  soul."  He 
replies,  "  I  believe,  sir,  that  I  am  composed  of  soul, 
spirit,  and  body."  I  don't  plead  guilty  of  the 
charge  of  misrepresentation.  That  he  believes 
man  has  something  which  he  calls  soul,  I  have 
never  denied.  But  when  he  uses  the  term  soul  he 
means  one  thing,  and  when  I  use  it,  I  mean 
another,  to  wit  :  "  The  spiritual,  rational,  and  im- 
mortal substance  in  man  which  distinguishes  him 
from  brutes  ;  that  part  of  man  which  enables  him 
to  think  and  reason,  and  which  renders  him  a  sub- 
ject   of    moral    government."      In    the   foregoing 

sense  Bro.  C claims  that  man  has  no  soul,  and 

as  man  was  "made  a  little  lower  than  the  angels," 
—  that  is,  nearly  equal  to  them  —  his  theory  leads 
down,  downward  to  the  preposterous  conclusion 
that  there  is  only  a  shade  of  difference  between 
the  shining  angels  of  heaven  and  the  old  sow  that 
wallows  in  the  mire  or  roots  in  the  mud  for  muck- 
worms. 

But  lastly,  speaking  of  "soul,  spirit,  and  body," 
he  says,  "  Now,  general,  can  you  produce  one  pas- 
sage to  prove  that  one  of  them  lives  as  an  entity 
when  separated  by  death  ?  " 

An  important  question  should  always  be  put  in 
such  form  —  without  changing  the  sense  —  as  will 
free  it  as  much  as  possible  from  complications.     I 


388      AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

prefer  the  following :  Can  you  (Mack)  produce 
one  passage  of  Scripture  to  prove  that  the  Bap- 
tist position  in  reference  to  what  is  commonly 
called  soul  or  spirit  is  scriptural  ?  This  question 
covers  the  Baptist  creed  upon  that  point,  as  well 
as  that  of  all  other  orthodox  denominations  ;  and 
that  sufifices  for  me.  You  offer  one  hundred  dol- 
lars for  such  a  passage.  I  will  give  you  only  five 
references  at  present,  to  wit:  Luke  i6  :  19-31  ; 
Luke  23  :  43  ;  2  Cor.  5  :  8;  2  Pet.  i  :  13,  14; 
Matt.  10:  28.  Please  hurry  up  the  shining  dust, 
for  it  is  a  scarce  article  in  this  part  of  the  moral 
vineyard.  You  can  send  the  cash  by  post-office 
money-order  or  draft,  as  may  suit  you  best.  Don't 
forget  to  send  me  your  book  on  theology  as  soon 
as  published. 

Yours  truly, 

Mack. 

Jefferson  Co.,  Ga. 

In  the  Enterprise  of  April  i,  1886,  I  published 
the  following  article  in  reply  :  — 

CARGILE    REPLIES    TO    MACK'S    ARTI- 
CLE  OF   DEC.    18. 

HE    DOES    NOT    THINK    HE    OWES    A    HUNDRED 
DOLLARS,    AND    EXPLAINS    HIS    VIEWS. 

All  hail,  Major-General  Mack  !  Your  article, 
published  in  the  Enterprise  of  Dec.  18,  1886,  has 
been  sent  me  in  a  letter  from  Emanuel  Co.,  Ga. 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK   AND   CORP.  CARGILE.       389 

It  has  been  handled  and  read  till  there  are  holes 
in  it,  so  it  is  almost  impossible  to  read  it  all  ;  but 
I  will  do  the  best  I  can  for  you. 

You  say  that  you  never  thought  of  taking  to 
yourself  the  style  of  major-general  ;  that  you 
meant  the  Baptist  denomination,  and  that  by 
corporal  you  meant  the  Advent  denomination  ; 
that  you  did  not  mean  it  for  individuals.  I  have 
not  your  first  article  of  July  31  about  me,  but  if 
I  remember  correctly,  you  gave  it  as  the  reason 
why  Baptists  could  "  not  debate  with  Cargile,  his 
Delphian  oracle."  Now,  general,  does  not  that 
look  like  you  represented  the  Baptist  preacher  as 
a  major-general  stooping  to  debate  with  Cargile  as 
a  corporal  .-•  Did  you  mean  the  whole  Baptist 
denomination  stooping  to  debate  with  me  t  You 
certainly  mentioned  my  name  as  an  individual. 
Now,  I  will  make  a  fair  proposition  to  you  :  if  you 
will  just  stoop  a  little  and  allow  me  to  call  you 
my  brother  in  the  future,  I  will  drop  the  appella- 
tion of  major-general.  That  will  be  more  becom- 
ing to  ministers  of  Jesus.    What  do  you  say  to  it } 

You  seem  to  intimate  that  the  length  of  time 
between  your  article  and  my  reply  gave  me 
"ample  time"  to  display  my  "gift  of  irony  and 
wit"  in  setting  you  "in  a  false  light,"  and  thus 
gain  the  advantage.  Please  allow  me  to  say  that 
in  my  reply  I  stated  that  I  never  saw  or  heard  of 
your  article  till  a  friend  showed  it  to  me  in  Bartow 


390     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

the  first  day  of  October.  You  say  "  such  a  temp- 
tation is  rather  too  strong  to  be  resisted  by  weak 
human  nature,"  Allow  me  to  say  that  if  I  know 
anything  about  the  true  religion  of  Jesus,  it  is 
above  the  temptations  of  weak  human  nature.  It 
is  not  Christ-like  to  resort  to  irony  and  wit.  Be 
it  far  from  me  to  so  disgrace  my  calling  as  a  min- 
ister of  a  plain,  unassuming  Jesus,  as  to  stoop  to 
irony  and  wit. 

You  speak  the  truth  when  you  say  that  "  it  is 
very  seldom  that  one  of  our  major-generals  or 
D.D.'s  pays  any  special  attention  to  the  little 
Advent  speck  that  has  loomed  up  in  the  theologi- 
cal horizon."  What  do  you  mean  by  the  term, 
*'  special  attention"  ?  I  suppose  you  mean  a  face- 
to-face  attention,  for  you  certainly  know  that  we 
have  had  much  long-range  attention.  I  heard  of 
one  of  your  guns  of  considerable  caliber  leveling 
himself,  at  the  Rivers'  schoolhouse,  on  the  subject 
of  hell.  They  say  he  preached  about  "  cows  and 
goats."  Still,  I  don't  suppose  he  meant  to  use 
"  irony."  I  would  not  so  charge  him.  But  what 
kind  of  attention  was  that .''  Not  special  attention, 
of  course,  for  you  say  your  generals  do  not  give 
us  that  kind  of  attention.  When  you  say  "one  of 
our  major-generals,"  do  you  mean  the  whole 
Baptist  denomination  }  Don't  you  in  that  very 
sentence  acknowledge  the  title  as  individuals .-'  If 
you  think  the  little  Advent  speck  can  be  so  easily 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK   AND   CORP.  CARGILE.       391 

gobbled  up  by  one  of  your  "small  gunboats," 
why  don't  you  man  one  of  them  and  bring  it  out 
in  range  of  the  little  "  Advent  speck  "  .''  Why  do 
you  keep  the  gunboats  as  well  as  your  huge 
ships-of-the-line  safely  stowed  away  in  the  har- 
bor when  the  "speck"  is  coasting .-'  Gunboats, 
my  brother,  are  useless  except  in  actual  contact. 
I  hope  the  "  speck  "  will  have  an  opportunity  of 
meeting  one  of  your  ships  or  boats,  either  great 
or  small,  clear  out  beyond  the  breakers,  on  the 
open  sea  of  the  great  theological  waters  where 
such  vessels  are  in  demand.  They  are  not  needed 
when  the  enemy  is  gone.  You  say  your  "D.D.'s 
are  lazily  watching  my  cause  out  of  one  corner  of 
the  eye,  and  if  it  should  make  sufficient  progress 
to  alarm  their  fears,  they  will  open  fire  upon  it 
from  Canada  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico."  That  just 
explains  the  whole  thing.  They  are  watching 
^^ only  out  of  one  corner  of  the  eye.''  That  is  just 
the  reason  why  they  can't  see  the  truth.  The 
organ  of  sight  is  in  the  center  of  the  eye,  not  in 
the  corner !  If  they  would  only  stand  square- 
toed  to  the  truth  and  look  at  it  with  the  sight,  or  the 
center  of  both  eyes,  they  would  very  probably  see 
the  truth  and  accept  it.  But  alas  !  "  none  are  so 
blind  as  those  who  will  not  see."  You  know  they 
can't  see  with  the  corner  of  the  eye. 

That  I  possess  weak  points  is  true,  but  that  it 
is  the  weak  points  in  my  make-up  that  settled  me 


392      AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILK. 

"  on  the  Advent  side  of  the  fence,"  I  deny,  un- 
less it  is  weakness  that  causes  a  man  to  for- 
sake all  else  for  the  truth.  If  that  be  true,  I  am 
guilty. 

You  say,  my  brother,  that  I  judged  the  captured 
ones  to  be  "  sheep  "  without  an  experience.  Are 
you  correct  in  the  charge  ?  I  captured  most  of 
them  with  the  sword  of  truth  from  the  Baptist 
Church,  and  she  had  heard  their  experiences  and 
passed  judgment  that  they  were  " s/iee/>."  I  simply 
took  the  decision  of  that  honorable  church,  whose 
acts,  like  the  laws  of  the  Medes  and  Persians,  are 
unalterable.  If  they  were  "  s/ieep,"  then,  they  are 
sheep  to-day ;  for  you,  as  a  church,  say  once  a 
sheep,  nevermore  a  goat ! 

You  say  you  need  solid  men.  I  wish  you  had 
more  of  them.  I  agree  you  have  some,  but  you 
need  more ;  so  do  all  of  us.  But  zve  want  men 
solid  for  truth,  not  moved  by  every  wv/d  of  doc- 
trine ;  but  men  honest  enough  to  be  moved  by  the 
doctrine  itself,  not  by  the  wind  of  it.  The  great 
Dr.  Chalmers  once  said  :  "  Wise  men  will  some- 
times change,  but  fools  never."  If  you  have  a 
few  more,  as  you  say,  belonging  to  that  class  who 
are  willing  to  accept  the  truth,  even  at  the  cost  of 
being  called  "  unstable  and  fickle-minded,"  just 
send  them  along  to  us  :  that  is  the  kind  we  are 
after.  You  have  another  class  that  are  too  weak 
and  timid  to  stand  when  "persecution  or  tribula- 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK   AND   CORP.  CARGILE.       393 

tion  ariseth  because  of  the  word.''  (Matt.  13  :2i). 
You  may  keep  all  such  ;  they  will  suit  you  better 
than  they  will  us.  We  do  not  want  those  too 
solid  to  be  moved  by  the  truth. 

You  speak  rather  lightly  of  changes,  and  ask 
where  we  will  be  ten  years  hence.  I  reply  that  if 
you  and  I  live  to  the  aforesaid  time,  and  you  want 
to  find  me,  just  take  your  old  Advent  Bible  and 
read  what  God  says,  and  then  be  sure  that  is 
right  where  I  will  be. 

My  dear  brother,  you  confess  that  when  you 
use  the  term  soul,  you  mean  "  the  spiritual, 
rational,  and  immortal  substance  in  man,  which 
distinguishes  him  from  the  brutes  ;  that  part  of 
man  which  enables  him  to  think  and  reason,  and 
which  renders  him  a  subject  of  moral  govern- 
ment." Now,  my  brother,  I  rejoice  that  you  have 
thus  plainly  defined  your  position.  The  next 
thing  is,  tvill  yon  prove  it  f  I  presume  you  have 
above  asserted  the  Baptist  position,  that  the  soul 
is  the  "rational  and  immortal  substance  in  man." 
If  that  is  it,  I  deny  it !  The  first  Scripture  you 
refer  me  to  is  the  case  of  the  rich  man  and  Laza- 
rus, in  Luke  16:  19-31.  I  have  read  it  carefully, 
and  I  do  not  find  a  single  word  about  a  soul  as  the 
"immortal  substance  "  in  man.  It  simply  tells  of 
the  condition  of  two  men  :  one  was  poor  while  the 
other  was  rich.  Not  a  word  from  which  to  infer 
that  the  rich  man  was  bad  and  the  poor  beggar 


394     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

was  good.  The  narrative  tells  us  that  ''the  beg- 
gar died  and  was  carried."  It  does  not  say  his 
body  died  and  a  rational  and  immortal  substance 
came  out  of  him  and  was  carried.  It  says  "the 
rich  man  also  died  and  was  bnricdy  I  have  as 
much  right  to  read  it,  that  the  rich  man's  body 
died  and  his  rational,  immortal  substance  got  out 
and  was  buried,  as  you  have  to  say  that  the  beggar 
who  was  carried  is  not  the  satne  beggar  who 
died.  He  was  carried  to  Abraham's  bosom,  not 
to  heaven.  The  rich  man  was  in  hades-\\Q\{,  the 
identical  hades-\v€\\.  where  Christ  went  between 
his  crucifixion  and  resurrection.  (See  Acts  2  : 
31.) 

Your  next  passage  is  the  thief  on  the  cross 
(Luke  23:43).  Here  I  have  looked  in  vain  for 
your  immortal  gentleman  in  man.  The  thief 
prayed,  saying :  "  Lord,  remember  me,  when  thou 
contest  into  thy  kingdom."  He  did  not  pray,  say- 
ing :  "  Lord,  let  thy  disembodied,  immortal  soul 
remember  my  disembodied,  immortal  soul  to-day 
when  it  goes  to  glory."  Not  a  word  is  said  about 
a  soul.  Not  a  word  about  a  part  of  either  one. 
But  the  thief  spoke  to  Jes7is  and  said  :  "  Remem- 
ber ME  when  THOU  comest  into  thy  kingdom." 
We  want  the  answer  to  harmonize  with  the 
prayer:  "Verily  I  say  unto  thee  to-day,  shalt 
THOU  be  with  me  in  paradise."  Not  a  word 
about  the  disembodied  soul  of  the  thief.     When 


MAJOR-GEN.    MACK   AND   CORP.    CARGILE.      395 

the  New  Testament  was  first  written  in  Greek,  it 
was  all  in  capital  letters  without  any  punctuation 
at  all.  The  reply  stood  thus  :  VERILY  I  SAY 
UNTO  THEE  TODAY  SHALT  THOU  BE 
WITH  ME  IN  PARADISE.  It  was  not  until 
the  fifteenth  century  that  Manutius  invented 
punctuation.  The  points  and  sentences  are  ar- 
ranged by  uninspired  men,  who  placed  them  so  as 
to  sustain  their  own  ideas.  Dear  brother,  where 
is  paradise  to-day  ?  It  was  once  on  this  earth.  It 
never  has  been  anywhere  else.  The  tree  of  Life 
will  be  "in  the  paradise  of  God"  (Rev.  2:7). 
You  will  find  that  tree  in  the  new  earth,  "  Para- 
dise restored,"  when  "  there  shall  be  no  more 
curse"  (Rev.  22:1-3).  The  promise  of  Jesus 
made  to  the  thief  that  day  will  be  fulfilled  in  par- 
adise when  he  comes  into  his  kingdom. 

Your  third  passage  is  2  Cor.  5:8.  I  still  fail 
to  find  a  word  about  the  soul.  Paul  speaks  in  the 
first  verse  of  "This  earthly  house  of  our  taber- 
nacle." What  is  the  earthly  house  .'*  Is  it  the 
body  ?  Then  what  is  the  tabernacle  of  the  earthly 
house .'' 

Think  of  it,  dear  brother  :  there  is  a  grand  truth 
here  !  Paul  says  if  these  be  dissolved,  "  we  have 
a  building  of  God,  an  house  not  made  with  hands, 
eternal  and  in  the  heavens."  What  is  that.''  Is 
it  another  body  in  heaven  ?  My  brother,  have  you 
a  celestial  body  now  in  heaven,  awaiting  your  dis- 


396      AUTOHIOGRAFHY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

embodied,  immortal  self  ?  Do  you  expect,  "  when 
you  drop  this  mortal  coil,"  to  move  into  that  house 
in  heaven  ?  Is  that  house  empty  now  ?  If  so, 
when  you  leave  your  old  body,  and  while  on  your 
journey  from  earth  to  heaven,  will  you  own  two 
empty  bodies  ?  In  the  resurrection  do  you  expect 
to  inhabit  your  old  body  raised  from  the  dead  ?  I 
believe  this  is  Baptist  faith.  Then  I  ask,  what 
will  become  of  that  heavenly  body  you  then  va- 
cate ?  When  you  leave  that  body  and  start  back 
to  be  reunited  with  your  old  body,  will  there  be 
two  empty  bodies  again  ?  Will  you  make  the  trip 
*'  unclothed  "  ?  Paul  says,  "  In  this  tabernacle  we 
groan,  earnestly  desiring  to  be  clothed  upon  with 
our  house  which  is  FROM  heaven."  Do  you,  my 
brother,  groan  for  death  to  take  you  out  of  your 
present  house  and  transport  you  to  that  heavenly 
tabernacle .''  Do  you  not  rather  take  medicine 
when  sick,  in  order  to  be  kept  in  your  old  taber- 
nacle as  long  as  possible  ?  Paul  did  not  expect  to 
be  present  with  the  Lord  until  "  the  last  trump," 
when  he  should  be  caught  up,  together  with  all 
saints,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air.  —  i  Thess.  4 : 
13-17.  My  brother,  we  live  in  this  world  in 
earthly  houses  made  by  hands.  When  our  eternal 
house  comes  "  FROM  heaven  "  in  the  New  Jeru- 
salem, it  will  be  a  "  house  whose  builder  and 
maker  is  God,"  not  made  with  hands.  Let  Peter's 
burning    day    come   and    dissolve     these    earthly 


MAJOR-GEN.    MACK   AND   CORP.   CARGILE.      397 

houses ;  we  have  better  houses  in  the  Holy  City, 
which  is  "coming  down  from  God  out  of  heaven" 
(Rev.  21  :   1-3). 

Your  fourth  passage  is  2  Pet.  i  :  13,  14  :  "Put 
off  this  my  tabernacle,  even  as  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  hath  shewed  me."  Let  us  run  the  refer- 
ence to  John  21  :  19,  and  learn  what  Jesus  showed 
him.  It  reads,  "  This  spake  he,  signifying  by 
what  death  he  should  glorify  God." 

Now,  my  brother,  I  call  upon  you  as  an  honest, 
Christian  man  to  take  off  your  Baptist  spectacles 
and  look  again  at  these  four  passages.  Tell  me 
honestly  if  there  is  a  single  word  about  a  rational, 
immortal  substance  in  man,  that  lives  after  the 
body  was  dead.  Men  are  spoken  of  as  whole  per- 
sons;  no  dividing  them  up  is  mentioned. 

Now,  I  come  to  your  fifth  and  last  citation,  and 
I  confess  you  find  a  soul  there,  for,  as  I  told  you 
before,  man  has  a  soul.  But  this  passage  is  fatal 
to  your  theory,  and  I  am  surprised  that  you  ever 
used  it.  It  reads,  "  Fear  not  them  which  kill  the 
body  but  are  not  able  to  kill  the  soul  :  but  rather 
fear  him  which  is  able  to  DESTROY  both  SOUL 
and  BODY  in  hell."  The  word  "hell"  here  is 
not  from  Hades,  where  the  rich  man  and  Christ 
went ;  but  it  is  from  Gehemia,  which  will  be  a 
burning  realm.  If  God  destroys  both  soul  and 
body  in  that  fire,  I  ask  is  the  soul  immortal.^ 
Does  it  not  prove  the  body  immortal  as  well  as  the 


398     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

soul?  The  same  passage  in  Luke  12:  5,  reads: 
"  Fear  him,  which  after  he  hath  killed,  hath  power 
to  cast  into  hell." 

Now,  my  brother,  I  ask  you  as  a  loving  Chris- 
tian before  God :  Do  you  claim  the  hundred  dollars  ? 
Have  you  produced  a  single  passage  to  positively 
prove  that  there  is  a  rational  and  immortal  sub- 
stance in  man  that  lives  on  after  the  body  dies  ? 
If  so,  I  ask  you  seriously  to  point  it  out.  You 
must  have  looked  at  these  passages  only  with  the 
corner  of  the  eye.  I  want  you  to  use  both  eyes 
and  look  at  them  again,  fairly  and  squarely,  and 
see  if  they  teach  that  you,  as  a  body,  have  another 
gentleman  inside  of  you  who  is  an  immortal  sub- 
stance. I  thought  you  as  a  Baptist  claimed  that 
the  soul  is  immaterial ,  and,  if  so,  it  has  no  sub- 
stance about  it,  nor  can  it  be  contaminated  with 
substance ! 

Brother  dear,  why  in  the  name  of  common-sense 
don't  you  give  it  up  and  come  over  to  our  "  bush- 
curtain  Christians  "  ?  We  have  plenty  of  self- 
evident  truth  ! 

Yes,  when  my  book  is  out,  I  shall  take  pleasure 
in  sending  you  a  copy. 

Pray  for  me.  May  God  bless  you  and  guide  you 
to  the  truth  ! 

Yours  in  love, 

JOHN   A.  CARGILE. 


MAJOR-GEN.    MACK    AND   CORP.    CARGILE.      399 

MACK    vs.    CARGILE.  —  REPLY    TO   THE 
EVANGELISTS  ARTICLE  OF  APRIL  i. 

SOUNDING  THE  BOTTOM  OF  REV.  C 's  ARGU- 
MENT AND  DOCTRINE. 

Bro.  C proposes  to  drop  the  military  feature, 

and,  as  it  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  subject  proper, 
I  have  no  objection.  If  any  one  wishes  to  see  an 
exhaustive  explanation  of  said  feature,  I  refer  to 
my  first  reply.  As  for  my  "  stooping  a  little,"  so 
as  to  allow  him  to  call  me  "Brother,"  I  reckon  I 
shall  have  to  do  that,  as  I  have  never  been  able  to 
ascertain  how  much  error  a  man  can  hold  and 
advocate,  and  still  be  a  Christian. 

The  "long-range  attention,"  or  firing  at  "the 
River's  Schoolhouse,"  is  again  brought  up.  It  is 
high  time  for  such  nonsensical  twaddle  to  cease. 
What  does  he  mean  by  it  .-*  Is  the  Advent  system 
criticised  in  some  corner  of  the  earth  far  away  from 
its  defenders .'  Are  not  its  bold  and  able  advo- 
cates, Brn.  McGahee,  Howard,  and  Thompson, 
among  us  .''  Or  are  they  nothing  but  figure- 
heads in  the  absence  of  the  gifted  and  profound 
Cargile  .''  Is  it  possible  that  sound  doctrine  can 
not  be  preached,  and  error  condemned  with  suc- 
cess, except  in  the  presence  of  Bro.  C t 

"Our  D.D.'s  are  lazily  watching  the  Advent 
cause  out  of  one  corner  of  the  eye."     He  takes 


400     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.   CARGILE. 

up  this  expression,  and  puts  a  literal  construction 
upon  it,  and  makes  all  the  capital  out  of  it  that  his 
ingenuity  can  possibly  invent.  He  knew  very  well 
that  I  simply  intended  it  as  a  rhetorical  figure  to 
express  that  they  are  giving  the  Advent  move  but 
little  attention,  but  still  just  as  much  as  it  de- 
serves or  its  status  calls  for.  But  let  us  take 
another  view.  He  says,  "  You  (Mack)  know  they 
can't  see  with  the  corner  of  the  eye."  I  said 
they  were  "  lazily  watching  out  of  one  corner  of 
the  eye."  It  is  surpassing  strange  that  a  man  of 
Cargile's  intelligence  and  observation  has  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  "  watching  out  of  one  cor- 
ner of  the  eye  "  is  impossible.  He  has  often,  no 
doubt,  been  in  the  presence  of  bashful  boys  and 
girls  who  loved  each  other  harder  than  a  mule  can 
kick  —  or,  at  least,  thought  they  did  —  but  too 
bashful  and  wanting  i^i  confidence  to  do  more 
than  watch  each  other  "  out  of  one  corner  of  the 

eye."     If  Bro.  C will  refresh  his  memory  and 

be  candid,  I  suppose  he  can  recall  some  period  or 
time  in  the  halcyon  days  of  youth  when  his  pre- 
cious little  sweetheart,  seen  out  of  "  one  corner  of 
the  eye,"   made   his   heart   spin  like  a  whirligig ! 

Am  I  not  correct,  Bro.  C } 

As  a  delectable  crumb  of  comfort  for  himself 
and  other  turncoats,  he  quotes  the  following  from 
Dr.  Chalmers  :  "  Wise  men  may  change,  but  fools 
never."     Cargile  in  the  close  of  his  article  sings 


MAJOR-GEN.    MACK   AND   CORP.   CARGILE.     40! 

me  a  soft  siren  song,  but  in  this  quotation  he 
shows  his  teeth.  He  places  me  in  a  dilemma 
with  the  Advent  system  upon  one  horn  and  "  fool  " 
upon  the  other,  and  gives  me  to  understand  that  I 
must  choose  between  the  two! —  But  "great 
men  are  not  always  wise,  and  when  they  do  err 
they  err  most  egregiously."  The  quotation  is 
wanting  both  in  truth  and  sound  philosophy. 
Every  man  of  observation  knows  well  that  fools 
are  constantly  changing ;  especially  when  they 
have  the  chance  to  change  front  right  to  ivrong. 
Lord  Bacon  gives  us  to  understand  that  a  new 
system  that  antagonizes  an  old-established  one  is 
always  popular  with  a  certain  class.  Yes  ;  and 
the  disposition  that  jumps  this  class  into  a  new 
thing  will  jump  them  out  as  soon  as  the  novelty 
has  worn  off.  I  might  say  more,  but  the  editor 
has  called  for  brevity  in  language  not  to  be  mis- 
understood. 

But  let  us  come  to  the  real  issue,  that  is  hardly 

stated  at  all  in  Bro.  C. 's  long-winded  essay  ;  to 

wit:  ''There  is  in  man  a  distinct  entity — that 
Baptists  call  soul  or  spirit  —  that  survives  the 
stroke  of  death,  and  is  not  dependent  upon  the  life  of 

the  mortal  body  for  existence  T 

Mack  affirms. 

Rev.  John  A.  Cargile  denies. 

The  first  Scripture  that  I  shall  offer  in  defense 

of    the   affirmative   will    be    based   upon  Christ's 


402      AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.    CARGH^E. 

narrative  of  Dives  and  Lazarus  ;  but  first,  pre- 
liminary remarks.  It  is  not  the  word  "  soul," 
"  spirit,"  or  any  other  particular  word  or  phrase 
that  we  Baptists  contend  for,  but  the  tiling  itself — 
"distinct  entity."  I  am  aware  of  the  fact  —  for 
I  have  heard  them  preach  —  that  Advents  with 
open  Bibles  stuck  towards  their  hearers  endeavor 
to  make  the  impression  that  it  is  not  the  thi^tg 
itself  that  we  stress,  but  some  particular  word  or 
phrase.  Now,  if  they  have  sense  enough  to  un- 
derstand the  distinction,  they  will  please  hereafter 
do  us  justice.  God  Himself  is  known  by  different 
appellations,  such  as  Lord,  Jehovah,  Supreme 
Being,  Creator,  Sovereign  of  the  Universe,  etc. 
The  cardinal,  essential  essence  is  not  to  be  found 
in  the  name,  but  that  which  the  name  represents. 
The  aforesaid  narrative  is  a  Gibraltar  rock  that 
lies  right  across  the  line  of  the  Advent  march. 
The  Advents  feel  and  know  it,  and  have  made  the 
strongest  efforts  that  sophistry  and  ingenuity 
could  invent  to  scale,  tunnel,  or  surround  it,  but 
all  in  vain.  They  have  been  able  to  do  nothing 
more  than  to  demonstrate  the  weakness  of  their 
cause.  As  for  sophistry,  despite  of  all  that  can 
be  done,  weak  points  will  crop  out  here  and  there 
that  ruin  it  as  an  argument,  stamping  upon  it  its 
real  character.  We  are  told  in  .^sop's  fables  that 
a  stag  being  closely  pursued  by  hounds,  took 
refuge  in  an  ox-stall,  and  covered  himself  as  best 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK   AND   CORP.  CARGILE.      403 

he  could  with  straw ;  but  unfortunately  the  points 
of  his  horns  stuck  out  through  the  straw  and  led 
to  his  ruin  !  All  sophistry  has  horns  that  will  stick 
out  now  and  then  through  the  straw,  showing  its 
real  character.  But  such  is  not  the  case  with 
sound  argument ;  it  marches  straightforward  like 
a  king  along  the  royal  highway,  having  nothing  to 
conceal  and  nothing  but  truth  to  defend  ;  but 
sophistry  dodges  around  in  the  nooks,  corners,  and 
brush,  trying  in  vain  to  hide  the  points  of  its 
horns. 

I  am  ready  to  investigate  the  narrative  of  Dives 
and  Lazarus.  Christ  intended  by  it  to  teach  very 
important  truths  to  the  human  race  down  to  the 
last  generation  ;  and  he  knew  exactly  how  to  teach 
so  as  to  be  understood,  for  he  was  very  God  as 
well  as  man.  What  a  pity !  what  a  pity !  that 
such  noble  truths  uttered  by  Christ  himself  should 
be  perverted  and  frittered  away  to  nothing  because 
they  do  not  harmonize  with  some  darling  theory 
of  man's  invention  ! 

But  what  does  the  narrative  teach  .-*  I  will 
briefly  mention  a  few  things,  i.  It  teaches  that 
earthly  wealth  may  enable  its  owner  to  enjoy  the 
good  things  of  this  life  for  a  brief  period ;  but  that 
the  time  will  soon  come  when  he  must  have  some- 
thing more  substantial  to  lean  upon  or  be  undone 
forever ! 

2.  That  poverty  and  religion  combined  are  infin- 


404     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

itely  better  than  wealth  and  irreligion  combined. 
That  the  hardships  of  poverty  are  of  short  dura- 
tion, but  to  be  "rich  towards  God"  is  happiness 
evermore  ! 

3.  It  teaches  that  as  soon  as  man  dies,  his  soul, 
spirit,  distinct  entity,  or  whatever  name  or  phrase 
you  may  choose  to  call  it,  goes  at  once  to  a 
place  of  "torment,"  if  bad  ;  but  if  good,  to  a  place 
of  "  comfort." 

4.  The  beggar  died  "  and  was  carried  by  the 
angels  into  Abraham's  bosom  "  —  not  the  dead 
external  Lazarus,  but  the  immortal  Lazarus  that 
once  dwelt  in  the  body  ;  the  distinct  entity.  We 
have  demonstrative  proof  that  it  was  not  the  dead 
body  that  was  carried,  for  Abraham  says,  now  he 
(Lazarus)  is  "comforted  ; "  and  Dives  wanted  Laz- 
arus to  bring  him  some  water  ;  but  how  can  a 
dead  body  be  "  comforted,"  or  carry  water  to  the 
thirsty  ?     The  idea  is  preposterous. 

Upon  the  other  hand,  it  is  said  of  Dives,  that  he 
died  and  was  buried,  and  "  in  hell  he  lifted  up  his 
eyes,  being  in  torments,"  etc.  It  wasn't  the  dead 
body  of  Dives,  for  how  can  a  dead  body  lift  up 
its  eyes,  be  tormented,  or  call  for  water  to  slake 
its  thirst  .-' 

5.  It  teaches  that  when  the  mortal-coil  body  is 
thrown  off,  that  the  inner  man,  "distinct  entity," 
leaves  the  body  at  once  and  goes  to  the  "  spirit 
world." 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK   AND   CORP.  CARGILE.      405 

6.  And  that  in  this  "  spirit  world  "  there  are 
two  departments,  —  one  for  the  good  and  one  for 
the  bad. 

Now,  in  explaining  this  narrative,  I  have  fol- 
lowed its  plain,  distinct  teachings.  I  see  no  neces- 
sity for  quibbling  upon  words,  or  for  resorting  to 
sophistry  to  smother  the  truth.  If  there  were 
nothing  in  the  Bible  to  sustain  the  Baptist  posi- 
tion but  the  narrative,  it  would  be  amply  sufficient. 
There  is  no  higher  authority  than  Christ,  and  our 
views  can  not  be  more  clearly  expressed  in  human 
language. 

But  Cargile  is  determined,  if  possible,  to  get 
the  narrative  out  of  his  way,  if  he  makes  it  teach 
nothing,  or  worse  than  nothing !  In  order  to 
show  that  Dives  didn't  really  go  to  a  place  of 
"  torment,"  he  says,  "  There  is  not  a  word  from 
which  to  infer  that  the  rich  man  was  bad  and  the 
poor  beggar  was  good.  If  it  wasn't  such  a  serious 
matter,  this  would  be  laughable.  Dives  "  lifted 
up  his  eyes  in  torments,"  and  "  the  beggar  was 
carried  by  angels  into  Abraham's  bosom,"  where 
he  was  "  comforted ;  "  and  still  not  a  •'  word," 
says  Cargile  "to  infer"  that  one  was  "bad"  and 
the  other  "  good."  Here,  not  only  the  points  of 
the  stag's  horns,  but  his  whole  body,  sticks  out 
through  the  straw  !     Suppose  I  were  to  meet  Bro. 

C and    say  :    "  My    nearest    neighbor,    Simon 

Flowhard,   has  been   sent  to  the  penitentiary  for 


406    AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.  CARGILE. 

twenty  years."  "  Not  a  word  here,"  he  would  say, 
"to  infer  that  Plowhard  was  a  rogue  or  a  rascal." 
His  sophistry  has  run  wild  and  gone  to  seed ! 

But  what  is  still  more  startling  and  absurd,  he 
tells  us  that  Dives  and  Christ  went  precisely  to 
the  same  place  —  no  essetitial  difference  at  all. 
Here  the  stag  not  only  uncovers  his  horns  and 
head,  but  stands  upon  his  feet.     I   suppose  Bro. 

C builds    his    monstrous    absurdity  upon  the 

term  hades;  but  his  conclusion  is  clearly  a  Jion 
seguitur,  to  say  the  least  about  it.  I  admit  that 
the  term  hades  generally  means  grave,  but,  like 
the  most  of  words,  it  has  more  meanings  than  one. 
In  order  to  ascertain  in  any  particular  place  the 
import  of  words  that  have  a  variety  of  meanings, 
we  are  necessarily  compelled  to  appeal  to  the  con- 
text. This  controls  the  definition  of  the  word,  or, 
rather,  shows  what  it  means  in  the  place  where 
used.  This  is  a  rule  that  governs  all  scholars  and 
writers  of  sound  judgment.  To  adopt  a  different 
course  would  necessitate  the  remodeling  of  our 
language,  and  the  addition  of  a  great  many  new 
words,  in  order  that  we  might  be  able  to  express 
different  shades  of  meaning,  and  nice  distinctions. 

The  best  critics  say  that  hades,  in  this  narrative, 
is  used  in  the  sense  of  gehenna  —  a  place  of  tor- 
ment ;  but  the  truth  is,  there  is  no  necessity  for 
appealing  to  the  opinion  of  critics :  the  context 
itself  clearly  demonstrates  what  hades  means  here. 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK   AND   CORP.  CARGILE.       407 

The  context  connected  with  the  burial  of  Christ 
is  quite  different  in  some  respects  from  the  one 
linked  to  Dives.  When  it  becomes  necessary  for 
a  man  to  use  sophistry  revolting  to  both  head  and 
heart,  in  order  to  sustain  his  theory,  it  is  strong 
evidence  that  it  is  rotten  to  the  core. 

But  I  have  written  enough  for  the  present  — 
my  reply  will  be  continued. 

Mack. 

Jefferson  Co.,  Ga. 

MACK   vs.    CARGILE.  —  REPLY   TO    THE 
EVANGELIST'S  ARTICLE  OF  APRIL  i. 

SOUNDING  THE  BOTTOM  OF  REV.  C 's  ARGU- 
MENT AND  DOCTRINE.  —  CONTINUED  FROM  LAST 
ISSUE.  SOUND    LOGIC. 

Your  readers  will  please  keep  in  mind  the  propo- 
sition under  discussion  —  that  was  at  the  outset 
substantially  suggested  by  Cargile  himself.  It  is  : 
"  There  is  in  tnan  a  disti?tct  entity  —  that  Baptists 
call  soul  or  spirit  —  that  survives  the  stroke  of 
death,  and  is  not  dependent  upon  the  life  of  the 
mortal  body  for  existence!' 

Mack  affirms. 
Rev.  John  A.  Cargile  denies. 

He  called  on  me  to  give  him  one  passage,  if  I 
could,  to  sustain  the  affirmative  of  the  proposition. 
I  gave  him  five  Scriptural  citations,  and  could  have 
given  him  more  ;  but  I  gave  him   enough,  in  my 


408      AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

judgment,  to  fully  establish  the  affirmative  ;  and  I 
shall  restrict  myself  to  their  consideration.  The 
second  reference  is  to  the  thief  upon  the  cross  — 
Luke  2T,  :  43.  The  thief  "  said  unto  Jesus,  Lord, 
remember  me  when  thou  comest  into  thy  King- 
dom." "And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Verily,  I  say 
unto  thee.  To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  Para- 
dise." Bro.  C is  as  shrewd  as  a  fox  in  hand- 
ling sophistry,  but  fortunately  for  the  world  and 
sound  doctrine  there  are  some  passages  so  re- 
markably clear  that  when  he  tackles  them  he 
shows  the  weakness  of  his  cause  in  a  way  that  is 
truly  astonishing !  I  may  say  of  Paradise  that 
it  is  a  general  name  for  a  place  of  pleasure  or 
exquisite  delight.  It  is  used  in  no  other  sense. 
To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  Paradise  :  that  is 
in  a  place  of  exquisite  delight.  But  didn't  the 
thief  say  unto  Jesus,  "  Lord,  remember  me  when 
thou  comest  into  thy  Kingdom "  .-*  Cargile  says 
he  wants  the  answer  to  harmonize  with  the  prayer. 
Well,  I  reckon  he  does  ;  his  bogus  system  requires 
that  it  should.  But  Christ  answered  the  prayer 
to  suit  himself,  and  no  doubt  it  was  fully  satisfac- 
tory to  the  thief.  The  prayer  of  every  Christian 
who  prays  for  a  particular  thing  ought  to  be  quali- 
fied with  the  expression,  "  Lord,  not  my  will  but 
thine  be  done."  But  it  is  very  clear  that  the  dis- 
tinct entity  that  we  call  soul  or  spirit  went  to 
Paradise ;  for  a  dead  body  nailed  to  the  cross  was 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK   AND   CORP.  CARGILE.      4O9 

just  as  much  in  Paradise  there  as  it  would  be  any- 
where else.  But  Cargile  grows  desperate  in  his 
sophistry  and  says,  "  The  punctuation  points  are 
arranged  by  uninspired  men  who  placed  them  so 
as  to  sustain  their  own  ideas."  A  very  serious 
charge.  The  sentence,  "  Verily  I  say  unto  thee. 
To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  Paradise,"  he 
says  has  the  comma  in  the  wrong  place  :  that  it 
ought  to  follow  To-day  instead  of  thee.  Every 
scholar  knows  that  the  comma  after  thee  is  exactly 
where  it  should  be.  To  place  it  after  To-day 
would  require  a  very  disagreeable  drag-along  of 
the  voice  to  reach  it,  and  wouldn't  sustain  his  idea 
at  that.  But  I  see  that  he  has  changed  the  punc- 
tuation himself  in  order  to  force  it  into  his  service 
—  has  committed  precisely  the  same  offense  that  he 
charged  against  others.  Here  we  see  not  only 
the  points  of  the  horns  but  the  whole  body  of  the 
stag. 

The  second  citation,  2  Cor.  5:8,  — "  We  are 
confident,  I  say,  and  willing  rather  to  be  absent 
from  the  body,  and  to  be  present  with  the  Lord." 
If  man  doesn't  possess  a  distinct  entity  that  we  call 
soul  or  spirit  that  can  exist  independently  of  the 
body  or  when  separated  from  it,  then  the  expres- 
sion of  Paul  is  nothing  more  than  sJiecr  no?isense  ; 
but  it  won't  do  to  take  that  position,  for  Paul  was 
inspired.  He  believed  and  taught  clearly  that  in 
the  Christian's  body  dwells  a  distinct  entity  that 


410     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

when  separated  from  the  body  goes  at  once  to  a 
place  of  happiness.  He  also  uses  the  pronoun 
"  we  "  to  express  his  real  self  and  those  that  he 
was  addressing  in  contradistinction  from  the  body. 

Brother  C finds  the  passage  too  much  for  him 

—  and  so  flies  off  in  a  tangent  to  the  other  pas- 
sages and  contents  himself  with  asking  a  few  ques- 
tions, to  wit  :  "  What  is  the  earthly  house  ?  Is  it 
the  body  ?  Yes.  Then  what  is  the  tabernacle 
of  the  earthly  house  "  ?  Let  us  find  out  first  that 
the  earthly  house  has  a  tabernacle,  then  we  will 
interchange  views.  Again,  "  When  you  leave  your 
old  body  and  while  on  your  way  from  earth  to 
heaven  will  you  own  two  empty  bodies  "  ?  Here 
he  puts  the  cart  before  the  horse  —  hold  your 
question  back  until  I  say  that  when  the  distinct 
entity,  soul  or  spirit,  leaves  the  old  mortal  body, 
that  it  enters  into  another  "body"  ;  but  if  I  had 
said  it,  is  it  one  of  the  functions  of  human  reason 
to  explain  all  the  mysteries  of  Divine  Providence  ? 
God's  ways  are  not  as  our  ways,  and  his  thoughts 
are  not  as  our  thoughts. 

The  fourth  citation,  2.  Peter  i  :  13-14, —  "Yea, 
I  think  it  meet,  as  long  as  I  am  in  this  tabernacle, 
to  stir  you  up  by  putting  jyou  in  remembrance  ; 
knowing  that  shortly  I  must  put  off  t/it's  my  taber- 
nacle, even  as  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  hath  shewed 
me."  These  passages  contain  self-evident  proof 
in  favor  of  the  afifirmative'of  the  proposition  ;  in 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK   AND   CORP.  GARGILE.      411 

fact,  they  are  so  full  and  clear  as  really  to  need  no 
explanation  at  all.  Peter  calls  himself  "  I."  The 
tabernacle  or  body  was  the  abode  of  this  "  I  " 
while  life  lasted.  "I"  and  "tabernacle"  here  are 
not  synonyms.  There  is  just  the  same  essential 
distinction  between  the  two  as  a  man  and  the 
house  he  dwells  in.  The  next  verse  says,  "  I  " 
must  shortly  put  off  this  my  "tabernacle,"  that  is, 
this  "  I  "  must  shortly  lay  the  body  aside  ;  get  rid 
of  the  mortal  coil  that  constitutes  no  essential  part 
of  the  real  Peter.  Is  it  possible  for  expressions 
to  be  clearer  or  more  in  one's  favor  .-'  Peter  is  so 
strong  on  our  side  that  Cargile  doesn't  tackle  these 
passages  at  all,  but  runs  away  from  them  just  as 
fast  as  his  legs  can  carry  him.  He  points  the 
readers  back  to  John  21  :  19,  which  simply  states 
that  Peter  would  die  a  death  of  violence  or  be 
martyred  for  the  cause  of  truth  ;  but  throws  no 
light  whatever  upon  the  tabernacle  question. 
Well,  I  will  not  blame  him  here  for  uncovering 
the  whole  stag.     What  else  could  he  do  .'' 

Fifth  and  last  citation,  Matt.  10:28,  —  Christ 
says,  "  Fear  not  them  which  kill  the  body,  but  are 
not  able  to  kill  the  soul  :  but  rather  fear  him 
which  is  able  to  destroy  both  soul  and  body  in 
hell."  The  first  clause  of  this  verse  has  reference 
to  the  power  of  man  ;  the  second  clause  speaks 
of  the  power  of  God.  So  far  as  the  power  of  God 
is  concerned,  it  would  be  irreverent  in  me  to  place 


412     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

any  limitation  upon  it.  If  he  chose  he  could 
annihilate  all  the  angels  of  heaven  and  the  inhabit- 
ants of  earth  !  But  I  may  speak, with  freedom  in 
reference  to  the  home  of  man.  Christ  in  this 
verse  calls  the  distinct  entity  in  man  "  soul." 
This  is  sufficient  authority  for  our  calling  it  by  the 
same  appellation,  for  there  is  no  Jiigher  authority 
than  Christ  nor  better  examples  than  his.  Christ 
tells  us  plainly  that  there  is  something  in  man 
that  man  can  not  kill,  and  he  calls  this  something 
"  soul."  What  can  this  be  but  a  distinct  entity 
not  dependent  upon  the  body  for  existence .''  The 
teachings  of  Christ  here  do  not  harmonize  at  all 
with  the  Advent  system  :  for  that  says  that  when 
a  man  dies,  he  dies  all  over  and  all  through. 
Others  may  call  for  stronger  proof,  but  the  Scrip- 
tures that  I  have  examined  are  just  as  strong  proof 
as  I  want.  When  Cargile  comes  to  this  passage, 
he  says  that  he  is  surprised  at  my  referring  him 
to  it.  His  surprise  is  merely  feigned  or  put  on 
for  a  purpose  It  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than 
ad  captandiiin  vnlgiis.  He  would  have  been  sur- 
prised in  reality  if  I  had  left  it  out.  He  makes  no 
comment  at  all  upon  the  first  clause  of  the  verse, 
the  only  part  of  it  that  covers  the  issue.  Your 
readers  must  decide  for  themselves  whether  or 
not  I  have  logically  sustained  the  affirmative 
•of  the  proposition. 

He  closes  his  article  with  another  ad  captandtim 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK    AND   CORP.  CARGILE.       413 

vulgus :  "  Brother  dear,  why  in  the  name  of  com- 
mon-sense don't  you  give  it  up,  and  come  over  to 
our  "  bush-curtain  Christians  "  ? 

The  Advents  had  better  find  some  way  to  keep 
those  who  do  go  over  to  the  bush-curtain  Chris- 
tians before  they  invite  others  to  come.  I  recently 
read  one  of  their  tracts  in  which  the  writer  sub- 
stantially states  —  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  for 
aught  I  know  —  that  when  we  (Advents)  carry 
our  cause  into  a  new  place  we  soon  secure  a  con- 
siderable following,  but  just  as  soon  as  we  arouse 
the  leaders  of  the  opposition  they  take  them  from 
us   until   scarcely   any  are    left.     This    needs    no 

comment. 

Mack. 

Jeffersofi  Co.,  Ga. 

June  the  loth,  1886,  was  published  the  follow- 
ing:— 

TIT   FOR    TAT. —  CARGILE   ANSWERS 
MACK   AND    EXPLAINS    POINTS. 

A    FEW    POINTED    REMARKS.  —  INVITING    DEBATE 
BETWEEN    BRETHREN    NEAR    HOME. 

My  Dear  Brother  Mack  :  —  The  first  part  of 
your  article  reached  me  at  Alexis,  111.  I  waited 
very  complacently  for  the  concluding  one,  which 
came  after  my  return  home. 

The  Editor  is  sensible  in  calling  for  short  arti- 


414     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

cles,  and  I  shall  try  to  keep  it  in  mind.  Indeed,  I 
have  not  very  much  to  notice  in  your  two  long 
articles. 

You  say  the  firing  at  the  River's  schoolhouse  is 
again  brought  up.  I  don't  remember  that  I  ever 
mentioned  it  but  once  in  my  correspondence. 
You  say  it  is  high  time  for  such  nonsensical  twad- 
dle to  cease,  and  you  ask,  "  What  does  he  mean  by 
it  ? "  Please  allow  me  to  explain.  I  heard  that 
the  brother  said  at  that  time  and  place  that  if  the 
soul  was  not  immortal,  Cargile  had  as  well  preach 
to  a  herd  of  cows  and  goats  about  salvation.  I 
thought  he  was  pushed  for  argument  to  leave  out 
Bible  and  resort  to  such  nonsensical  tivaddle.  I 
replied  that  if  man  was  immortal,  there  would  be 
more  common-sense  in  preaching  to  cows  and 
goats  than  to  man,  for  there  can  be  no  punish- 
ment for  immortal  beings.  Pain  is  the  road  to 
death,  and  if  they  can  not  die  pain  is  impossible. 
Hence  they  would  be  as  happy  in  the  flames  of 
your  Baptist  hell  as  the  three  Hebrew  children 
were  in  the  fiery  furnace.  At  the  time  that  long- 
range  gun  was  fired  Brn.  McGahee  and  Howard 
were  in  the  Baptist  church,  and  Thompson  was 
just  starting  to  preach.  There  was  not  an  Advent 
church  in  Jefferson  Co.  No,  they  are  not  ''fig- 
ure-headsy  I  am  willing  to  leave  the  matter 
in  their  hands.  Suppose  some  of  you  give  Bro. 
Seth  McGahee  a  twist  in  debate,  or  get  somebody 
else  to  do  so. 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK   AND   CORP.  CARGILE.       415 

I  never  was  so  bashful  a  young  man  as  you 
picture.  I  never  looked  at  a  girl  out  of  the  corner 
of  the  eye,  and  I  presume  if  I  had  been  so  bashful 
I  should  never  have  mustered  courage  to  pop  the 
question,  and  probably  should  have  died  an  old 
bachelor. 

There  are  different  kinds  of  fools,  my  brother. 
There  are  fools  for  money,  fools  for  popularity,  and 
fools  for  want  of  sense.  I  presume  Dr.  Chalmers 
referred  to  one  of  the  first  two  classes  who  never 
change  unless  the  breeze  happens  to  change.  The 
latter  kind  is  always  changing.  I  don't  suppose 
you  mean,  my  brother,  that  we  whom  you  call 
turncoats  are  of  the  latter  class  of  Gumbo  s  fools. 
We  have  changed  for  truth.  Will  you  do  the 
same  1  It  is  the  wounded  bird  that  flutters,  and 
when  people  call  us  fools  or  turncoats  we  just 
keep  still.  When  you  said,  "  but  let  us  come  to 
the   real    issue"    (that    is    hardly   stated    in    Bro. 

C 's  long-winded  essay),  I  said,  thank  the  Lord. 

I  then  read  :  — 

"  There  is  in  man  a  distinct  entity  that  Baptists 
call  soul  or  spirit  that  survives  the  stroke  of  death, 
and  is  not  dependent  upon  the  life  of  the  mortal  body 
for  existence,  etc.  Mack  affirms." 

I  turned  to  the  "long-winded  essay"  referred 
to,  and  found  the  following  copied  from  your  own 
article  :  "  The  spiritual,  rational,  and  immortal  sub- 


4l6     AUTOKIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.    CAKGILE. 

Stance  in  man,  which  distinguishes  him  from  the 
brutes  ;  that  part  of  man  which  enables  him  to 
think  and  reason,  and  which  renders  him  a  subject 
of  moral  government."  This  is  the  proposition  I 
was  noticing  in  my  long-winded  essay.  Why  did 
you  change  it  ?  Why  do  you  say  soul  or  spirit .-' 
Why  don't  you  say  one  or  the  other  and  stick  to 
it  .'*  Paul  prayed  for  the  whole  soul  and  spirit  and 
body  to  be  preserved.  —  i  Thess.  5  :  23.  We  are 
composed  of  the  three,  but  Paul  prays  for  the  soul 
and  spirit  to  be  preserved  as  well  as  the  body.  If 
one  is  an  immortal  entity,  they  all  are.  If  spirit 
and  soul  mean  entities,  then  you  have  two  immor- 
tal gentlemen  inside  of  you.  And  you  know,  my 
dear  brother,  that  soul  and  spirit  do  not  come  from 
the  same  word  in  Hebrew  or  Greek.  They  are 
not  the  same,  then  why  confound  them  ?  Just 
name  the  immortal  child  if  you  think  you  can  sus- 
tain it.  You  can  easily  sound  the  bottom  of  my 
theology,  for  it  has  a  bottom  —  the  Bible.  I  can 
not  sound  the  bottom  of  yours,  I  confess,  for  it 
has  none  only  in  heathen  philosophy.  Look  over 
your  article  again,  and  see  if  you  have  given  a 
single  passage  proving  that  either  the  soul  or  spirit 
in  man  is  an  immortal  •entity. 

You  say,  Baptists  contend  for  the  thing  itself 
—  distinct  entity.  I  say  Amen  !  You  contend  for 
the  thing  itself.  Now,  my  brother,  you  are  just 
the  man  to  find  such  an  entity,  if  there  is  such  a 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK    AND   CORP.  CARGILE.      417 

thing.  But  I  want  you  to  show  me  the  thing 
itself  of  which  you  boast.  Such  a  thing  itself  is 
not  mentioned  as  being  in  the  rich  man,  or  in 
Lazarus,  or  the  thief  on  the  cross.  All  you  have 
said  about  the  stag  and  his  horns  is  only  "  non- 
sensical twaddle."  Do  please  leave  off  all  such  and 
let  us  get  right  down  to  business  —  get  after 
"THE  THING  ITSELF"  that  Baptists  contend 
for.  When  you  find  it,  let  us  see  "  the  thing 
itself" — the  distinct  entity  in  man.  In  all  the 
five  passages  you  cited  there  is  not  an  intimation 
of  an  immortal  entity  —  "  the  thing  itself  "  in  man. 
Solomon  says,  "  The  living  know  that  they  shall 
die."  I  believe  it  ;  do  you  .''  He  also  says,  "  But 
the  dead  know  not  anything  "  (Eccl.  9  :  5,  6).  I 
believe  it  ;  do  you  .-•  David  says  when  a  man's 
breath  goes  forth  "  he  returneth  to  his  earth  ;  in 
that  very  day  his  thoughts  perish"  (Ps.  146:4). 
I  believe  it ;  do  you .'  Paul  says  if  there  be  no 
resurrection,  "  Then  they  also  which  are  fallen 
asleep  in  Christ  are  perished  "  (i  Cor.  15  :  18).  I 
believe  it ;  do  you  .''  In  all  your  citations  whole 
men  are  spoken  of.  Please  find  your  distinct,  im- 
mortal entity  in  man. 

Please  send  me  that  Advent  tract  the  author  of 
which  laments  losing  so  many  members  when  the 
leaders  of  the  opposition  arouse.  How  many  have 
yon  captured  in  Georgia  .''  I  think  the  man  who 
wrote  that  must  have  had  softening  of  the  brain, 


4l8     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE.    ' 

and  could  easily  weep.  Be  sure  to  send  it  to  me, 
or  in  your  next  please  give  us  the  title  of  the  tract 
and  the  name  of  the  author.  I  confess  I  have 
never  seen  it.  And  I  declare  it  is  not  true  in  my 
field  in  the  South.  They  must  be  the  kind  of 
fools  you  speak  of,  who  are  always  changing. 
Smart  fools  will  change  to  truth,  and  then  they 
are  there.  How  many  in  Jefferson  Co.,  Ga., 
have  turned  their  coats  and  become  Adventists  .'* 
How  many  of  that  number  have  turned  them 
back .'' 

Now,  my  dear  brother,  I  do  not  intimate  that 
you  are  a  fool  or  a  turncoat.  I  do  you  the  credit 
to  admit  that  you  honestly  want  truth.  But  I 
really  fear  that  you  read  the  Bible  with  precon- 
ceived notions.  Now  don't  dilly-dally  so  much, 
but  find  ^^  the  thing  itself — distinct  entity — in 
■man."  That  is  the  child  you  claim  to  have  by 
name  in  the  Bible.  Please  get  right  down  to  the 
work  and  dig  it  out.  Paul  says,  "  The  gift  of  God 
is  eternal  life  "  (Rom.  6  :  23).  I  believe  it.  God 
will  give  it  to  those  who  "seek  for  im.mortality." 
The  wicked  ne\^r  get  it,  for  "the  wages  of  sin  is 
death  "  (Rom.  6  :  23).  We  are  like  you  Baptists  : 
we  want  "THE  THING  ITSELF."  Will  you 
find  it  for  us  .'' 

Yours  in  love, 

John  A.  Cargile. 

June  8,  1886. 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK   AND    CORP,  CARGILE.       419 


TO   WHOM    IT   MAY    CONCERN. 

Mr.  Editor  :  —  I  am  a  member  of  no  church, 
and  I  am  now  forty  years  old.  However,  I  feel 
it  to  be  my  duty  to  join  the  true  Church  of 
Christ,  provided  I  can  find  it.  This  is  a  matter 
about  which  I  am  very  anxious  :  God  knows  my 
heart. 

But  I  must  confess  that  I  am  confused  since  the 
theological  wrangle  has  set  in  between  th^  so- 
called  orthodox  or  evangelical  denomination  and 
the  one  known  as  the  Second  Advent.  They  have 
got  me  so  awfully  befogged  I  hardly  know  which 
way  to  turn. 

This  is  the  awful  condition  I  am  in  to-day.  Of 
course  every  true  lover  of  God  and  truth  will  sym- 
pathize with  me.  The  Baptists  say  they  are  right, 
the  Methodists  say  they  are  right,  the  Presbyte- 
rians and  the  Episcopalians  say  the  same  of  them- 
selves, and  now  the  Advents  come  along  and  cry 
out  in  the  words  of  Isa.  8  :  20  :  "To  the  law  and  to 
the  testimony :  if  they  speak  not  according  to  this 
word,  it  is  because  there  is  no  light  in  them." 
This  sounds  like  the  ring  of  the  true  metal.  Fur- 
thermore, the  Advents  say  the  Bible,  like  all  other 
common-sense  books,  "says  what  it  means  and 
means  what  it  says."  This,  too,  seems  to  have 
the  right  kind  of  a  ring  to  it.     Somehow  I  have 


420      AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

always  been  of  the  opinion  that  the  Bible  could 
not  be  so  mysterious  as  its  professed  advocates 
have  always  represented  it.  If  it  is  a  profound 
mystery,  how  then  can  it  be  the  revelation  of  the 
will,  plan,  and  purpose  of  God,  which  it  purports 
to  be  ? 

But  I  am  liable  to  be  misled,  and  I  need  help. 
I  send  out  the  Macedonian  cry,  "Come  over  and 
help  us."  I  will  say  that  the  help  I  need  is  that 
some  of  our  able  orthodox  ministers  will  meet 
these  saucy  Adventists  face  to  face  (as  Christ  did 
the  Jewish  doctors  in  the  temple),  and  show  them 
and  the  world  around  their  errors.  I  see  that 
Mack  has  received  a  challenge  to  debate  with 
them  publicly  the  points  of  doctrine  in  dispute. 
I  see  nothing  improper  or  unchristianlike  in  a 
discussion  of  this  kind,  for  I  am  reminded  by 
Acts  9 :  29  ;  15  :  7,  17,  that  the  precedent  is  given 
by  the  Apostles  themselves.  For  my  sake  and 
for  the  sake  of  even  a  great  multitude  in  this  com- 
munity, for  the  sake  of  all  that  is  near  and  dear, 
and  especially  for  Christ's  sake,  I  want  Mack  to 
accept  this  challenge. 

Yours,  in    the    hope    of   the    true  light  of   the 
gospel, 

A   Non-Professor. 

h'rens,  Ga.,  May  i6,  1886. 

P.S.  —  I  will  say  further  that  it  is  not  name  or 
fame  that  concerns  me,  or  whether  I  worship  in  a 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK    AND   CORP.  CARGILE.      421 

magnificent  edifice  or  under  a  bush  arbor ;  but  the 
truth,  and  the  way  that  honors  God  most. 

A.  N. 

BLACK   JACK    RIDGE   DOTS. 

"  Cephas  "  says  :  "  One  of  Mack's  figure-heads 
who  told  the  members  of  Horeb,  when  they  voted 
to  keep  Cargile  from  preaching  in  the  house,  that 
when  Cargile  did  come  he  didn't  want  them  to  be 
slipping  and  sliding  around  to  hear  him."  And  so 
I  say  yet.  Slipping  and  sliding  around  to  do  any- 
thing is  unreasonable  for  people  that  are  all  right. 
Come  up  boldly  like  I  did  to  Mount  Horeb.  "  Prove 
all  things  ;  hold  fast  that  which  is  good  "  (r 
Thess.  5  :  21).  My  horns,  he  says,  look  dangerous. 
Perhaps  they  do  to  a  blind  man  whose  head  is  too 
thick  to  have  any.  Why  has  he  not  called  his 
brother  Mack's  attention  to  the  Scriptures  before 
now.'  Read  the  chapter  Rom.  i,  and  learn  who 
the  class  was  our  Advent  brother,  Paul,  was 
speaking  to  and  about.  Come  out  and  hear  Bro. 
McGahee  iox  yourselves  and  see  if  Jie  is  going  back 
on  the  truth.  You  will  then  know  the  truth  for 
yourselves. 

One  of  the  Figure-heads. 


422     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 
The  issue  of  June  26,  1886,  has  the  following:  — 
THE    CARGILE    DOCTRINE. 

SOME    POINTS    OF    THE    SECOND     ADVENT    DOCTRINE, 
AS    PREACHED    BY    CARGILE,    DEFINED. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  preaching  of  Eld. 
John  A.  Cargile  had  caused  considerable  discus- 
sion about  religious  doctrines  among  the  people  in 
this  and  neighboring  counties,  and  as  many  unac- 
quainted with  the  religious  belief  of  the  Second 
Adventists  desired  to  learn  something  about  this 
belief,  we  attempted  to  obtain  this  information. 
Wishing  to  find  out  this  from  one  who  was  well 
acquainted  with  the  doctrine  in  question,  a  short 
time  ago  we  wrote  a  letter  to  Mr.  S.  C.  McGahee, 
requesting  him  to  give  us  some  information  about 
the  history  of  Mr.  Cargile,  and  his  belief  about 
certain  doctrinal  points,  such  as  future  punish- 
ment, baptism,  communion,  etc.  The  letter  pub- 
lished below  was  written  in  reply  to  our  request, 
and  we  trust  will  prove  interesting  to  some  of  our 
readers. 

It  is  thought  by  some  that  Mr.  McGahee  is  the 
author  of  "  Harmony  Dots,"  but  this  is  not  the 
case.  He  has  never  before  written  anything  for 
this  paper  in  reference  to  Cargile  or  his  doctrine. 

The  following  is  what  Mr.  McGahee  writes  :  — 

"  I  can  do  no  better,  perhaps,  in  referring  to  the 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK   AND   CORP.  CARGILE.      423 

history  of  Eld.  John  A.  Cargile,  than  to  quote  from 
an  editorial  which  appeared  in  the  Stevenson  (Ala.) 
New  Era  in  1873,  the  same  year  that  Eld.  Cargile 
was  excluded  from  the  Primitive  Baptist  Church, 
for  preaching  God's  truth.  Mr.  Cargile  had  been 
an  elder  in  that  denomination  and  pastor  of  Prim- 
itive Baptist  Churches  for  six  years.  However, 
the  scrap  of  history  to  which  I  allude  is  this  :  the 
editor  of  the  Era,  after  speaking  of  others  who  had 
been  from  time  to  time  preaching  Adventual 
truths,  says  :  '  Recently  Rev.  John  A.  Cargile, 
native  Alabamian,  a  worthy  son  of  a  worthy 
farmer  of  Jackson  Co.,  became  a  prominent  pro- 
claimer  of  these  doctrines,  having  two  debates 
with  different  ministers,  and  finally  withdrawing 
from  the  fellowship  of  the  Primitive  Baptist 
Church.' 

Mr.  Cargile  has  since  spent  his  time  preaching 
to  and  baptizing  the  people,  and  organizing  them 
with  Second  Advent  Christian  Churches,  and 
ordaining  for  the  same,  elders,  deacons,  and 
deaconesses. 

The  field  of  his  work  is  our  own  beautiful  South- 
land. He  is  truly  a  Southern  man,  and  he  loves 
the  South,  and  here  he  proposes  to  live,  love, 
and  labor. 

Mr.  Cargile  says  he  was  converted  to  his  pres- 
ent faith  before  he  knew  it  was  the  faith  of  any 
other  living  person.    The  first  thing  which  aroused 


424     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

his  suspicions  concerning  the  state  of  the  dead, 
from  death  to  the  resurrection,  was  reading  Acts 
2  :  34 ;  and  taking  this  as  a  starting-point,  he  soon 
found  out  that  the  Scriptures  teach  that  when  a 
man  is  dead,  he  is  dead  all  over  and  all  throu2"h. 
This,  of  course,  knocked  the  props  from  under  the 
theory  of  the  natural  immortality  of  the  soul,  and 
when  that  old  heathen  dogma  fell,  there  naturally 
fell  with  it  its  twin  error,  the  long  hell  of  papal 
Rome  ;  and  Eld.  Cargile  could  then  see  very 
clearly  that  the  wages  of  sin  is  death,  and  not 
eternal  torment. 

Eld.  Cargile  believes  salvation  is  obtained 
through  Jesus  Christ,  by  faith  and  works  upon 
the  part  of  the  saved. 

He  believes  salvation  is  free,  and  offered  to  all 
men  alike,  and  that  all  men  alike  have  the  very 
same  right  and  ability  to  accept  it. 

He  believes  it  is  possible  for  Christians  to  apos- 
tatize, and  finally  be  lost. 

He  believes  in  holiness  of  heart. 

He  believes  in  open  communion. 

He  believes  in  water  baptism  by  immersion. 

But  perhaps  the  most  distinguishing  feature  of 
his  faith  —  that  which  moves  his  soul  and  tongue 
more  than  all  —  is  the  nearness  of  the  second 
coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Now,  Mr.  Editor,  in  as  concise  a  manner  as 
possible,  I  have  written  you  the  information  which 


MAJOR-GEN.  MACK    AND   CORP.  CARGILE.      425 

you  desire.     Trusting,  sir,  that  you  will  be  pleased 
with  what  I  have  written,  I  remain, 
Yours  respectfully, 

S.  C.  McGahee." 

A   CARD. 

Mr.  Editor  :  —  In  your  issue  of  June  24,  you 
prohibit  further  religious  discussion,  believing  it 
to  be  unprofitable.  I  wanted  to  write  again  and 
strike  heavy  blows  in  the  way  of  argument  ;  but  I 
bow  to  the  inevitable,  knowing  that  an  editor  has 
the  right  to  manage  his  paper  in  accordance  with 
his  personal  judgment. 

I  believe,  however,  that  a  religious  controversy 
carried  on  in  cold  print,  when  conducted  in  the 
proper  way,  is  calculated  to  advance  the  cause  of 
truth,  and  sound  doctrines.     But 

1.  No  outside  interference  ought  to  be  allowed 
when  the  principals  are  engaged  in  discussion. 

2.  No  very  objectionable  personalities  should  be 
published  ;  especially  such  as  reflect  upon  the 
moral  character  of  either  one  of  the  opposing 
parties.  If  the  writer  is  not  a  gentleman,  his 
manuscript  ought  to  be  made  one,  either  by 
modification  or  erasure. 

The  discussion  in  your  paper  had  taken  too 
wide  a  range  entirely.  In  fact,  it  had  become  a 
general  fight.     Theologians  were  springing  up  at 


426     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

every  point  of  the  compass,  each  one  competent, 
in  his  own  judgment,  to  grasp,  analyze,  and  dis- 
cuss the  most  profound,  intricate,  and  sublime 
doctrines  of  the  Bible.  Some  think  that  a  reli- 
gious discussion  ought  to  be  confined  to  a  religious 
paper ;  but  in  that  case  it  is  one-sided,  traveling 
along  a  denominational  line,  reaching  only  those 
who  are  already  convinced. 

Others  believe  that  religious  discussion  is  un- 
profitable unless  it  proselytes  or  unsettles  the 
settled.  But  the  main  and  proper  design  of  dis- 
cussion is  to  enlighten  and  direct  those  who  are 
sincerely  asking  after  truth,  as  well  as  to  furnish 
those  established  upon  the  truth  with  suitable 
arguments  or  weapons  to  defend  it. 

Mack. 

Jefferson  Co.,  Ga. 

To-day,  thank  God,  there  are  more  than  a  dozen 
Second  Advent  Churches  in  Georgia,  with  as 
many  ministers,  and  over  one  thousand  members 
and  believers. 

To  the  Lord  be  all  praise  ! 


CHAPTER    XV. 

SPECIAL    PROVIDENCES. 

It  is  said  by  David,  a  man  of  vast  experience, 
that  "The  Angel  of  the  Lord  encampeth  round 
about  them  that  fear  him,  and  delivereth  them  " 
(Ps.  xxxiv.  7). 

I  will  give  the  reader  some  of  my  experiences 
on  this  line  which,  I  believe,  prove  the  truth  of 
David's  assertion.  On  one  occasion,  when  in 
Texas,  I  closed  my  meeting  in  the  town  of  Col- 
linsville,  one  night,  and  told  the  people  that  I 
would  take  the  train  next  morning  for  Honey 
Grove.  After  I  had  gone  to  Bro.  Skelton's  for 
the  night,  brethren  came  from  different  parts  of 
the  neighborhood  and  begged  that  I  stay  over  and 
preach  one  night  more.  I  told  them  that  Bro. 
Willmon  would  come  to  Honey  Grove  to  meet  me, 
and  it  would  not  do  to  disappoint  him.  They 
said  they  felt  that  I  must  stay,  and  insisted  that  I 
telegraph  the  man  to  wait  for  me. 

Finally,  I  said,  "  '  The  mind  of  the  Lord  is  with 
his  people,'  and  I  will  do  so."  I  telegraphed 
Bro.  Willmon  to  wait  for  me  till  Friday.  The 
brethren  went  to  two  schools  and  had  the  meeting 


428     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

given  out,  and  we  had  a  blessed  time  in  the  Lord. 
Thirteen  came  for  prayer,  and  I  felt  sure  that  I 
was  justified  in  staying  over.  Next  morning 
(Friday)  I  went  to  the  depot  to  take  the  ten- 
o'clock  train  for  Honey  Grove. 

I  asked  the  ticket  agent,  "  At  what  time  will 
there  be  a  train  going  East  ?"  He  replied,  "No 
train  to-day,  sir."  I  asked  the  cause.  He  said, 
."West  of  here  a  freight  train  ran  over  a  hand- 
car and  killed  the  superintendent's  clerk,  his  wife, 
and  child.  The  track  there  is  torn  up,  and  the 
passenger  train  that  passed  here  yesterday  morn- 
ing at  ten  o'clock  ran  through  a  bridge  just 
beyond  Sherman,  and  killed  sixteen  people,  and 
there  is  no  train  between  the  two  smash-ups."  I 
then  felt  sure  that  the  Lord  impressed  the  mind  of 
those  brethren  to  come  and  influence,  yea,  almost 
compel,  me  to  stay  over,  for  if  they  had  not  I 
should  have  gone  down,  as  P.  P.  Bliss  did,  in  that 
terrible  Ashtabula  disaster.  The  very  train  I 
intended  to  take  went  down  through  the  bridge. 
The  next  Monday  the  first  train  went  over.  All 
the  passengers  got  out  and  walked  over  the  tem- 
porary structure  ahead  of  the  train.  As  I  passed 
over  and  saw  the  cars  below  me  in  such  a  terrible 
mass  —  one  passenger  car  standing  on  its  end  in 
the  mud,  another  across  the  baggage  car,  I  said, 
"  Praise  God  for  his  special  care  for  his  children." 

At  Cherokee  Station,  in  the  Indian  Territory,  I 


SPECIAL   PROVIDENCES.  429 

stopped  one  night  in  a  rude  concern  called  a 
boarding-house,  which  was  green  planks  set  up  on 
end,  in  the  woods  at  the  station  on  a  new  railroad. 
Soon  after  I  retired  the  Indians  came  in  and  took 
possession  of  the  house  in  a  wonderful  carousal 
which  lasted  all  night.  I  could  not  understand  a 
word,  but  I  could  smell  the  rum  through  the  open 
cracks,  and  even  hear  it  gurgling  from  the  bottles 
when  they  drank,  which  was  often.  They  entered 
and  prowled  through  other  rooms.  I  rose  and 
went  to  the  landlord  and  got  the  key  and  locked 
myself  in.  Then  I  began  to  think,  What  kind 
of  protection  is  this  frail  door  against  a  crowd  of 
drunken  Indians  .•*  I  heard  a  noise  which  sounded 
like  the  smashing  of  a  door  to  another  room, 
which  shook  every  timber  in  the  shanty.  I  bowed 
in  prayer  and  committed  myself  to  the  keeping  of 
the  Lord  and  retired  and  slept  sweetly.  Next 
morning  they  were  still  carousing,  and  I  felt  that 
the  Lord  had  protected  me. 

Once,  while  in  the  State  of  Maine,  I  went 
twenty-seven  miles  from  any  railroad  and  preached 
in  a  schoolhouse  at  night.  Our  faith  was  new  in 
that  place,  and  a  great  crowd  came  to  hear  me. 
It  was  some  distance  from  the  '*  Corner "  or 
starting-place  for  the  stage  next  morning  at  six 
o'clock.  A  great  many  stood  during  the  sermon, 
among  whom  was  one  large  man,  who  came  to  me 
and    said,    "  I    want    to    have    you   stop  with    me 


430     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

to-night."  I  asked,  "  Do  you  live  near  the  Cor- 
ner?" He  said,  "About  one  mile."  I  said,  "All 
right ;  I  will  go."  He  then  said,  "  I  would  have 
you  understand,  before  you  go,  that  I  am  a  terrible 
sinner."  I  then  replied,  "  Oh,  that  is  all  right ! 
You  are  just  the  kind  of  fish  I  am  after  ;  I  will  go 
with  j/on  sure." 

He  lived  at  the  foot  of  a  ridge.  Soon  after 
we  entered  the  house  he  went  out  at  the  upper 
door  next  to  the  hill.  When  he  returned  I 
smelled  rum.  In  less  than  a  half-hour  he  went 
out  three  times,  and  by  this  time  began  to  talk 
loud  and  boisterous.  After  ten  o'clock  there 
came  two  other  men  in  a  buggy,  running  their 
horse  at  break-neck  speed.  As  soon  as  they 
entered  I  saw  that  they  were  both  very  drunk. 
One  of  them  was  a  large,  strong  man  in  the  prime 
of  life.  My  host  began  to  tell  them  about  the 
Alabama  preacher,  with  a  great  deal  of  enthusiasm. 
Turning  to  me,  he  said,  "  Get  up  here  and  preach 
them  a  sermon  just  like  you  did  over  at  the  school- 
house  to-night."  I  excused  myself  by  telling  him 
I  had  preached  enough  for  one  night.  He  then 
took  from  his  pocket  a  silver  dollar  and  proposed 
to  give  me  that  if  I  would  preach  thirty  minutes, 
just  as  good  as  I  did  at  the  schoolhouse.  I  told 
him  I  did  not  wish  to  hire  myself  out  to  preach. 
The  large,  drunken  man  then  arose  and  started 
staggering  toward  me,  and  as  he  came  he  used 


SPECIAL   PROVIDENCES.  43 1 

the  Lord's  name  in  a  blood-curdling  oath,  saying, 
"  We  will  make  yoji  prcacJi  !  " 

I  am  sure  that  in  this  extremity  the  Lo'rd  gave 
me  thought  and  words,  for  I  had  never  thought  of 
such  a  thing  in  all  my  life  before.  In  an  instant  I 
sprang  to  my  feet,  and,  taking  him  by  each  arm, 
just  above  the  elbows,  I  gave  him  a  shake,  and 
said  authoritatively,  "  Look  here,  sir,  you  stop 
talking  about  my  Friend  !  " 

He  hesitated,  and  stood  in  a  tho,^ghtful  mood, 
apparently  for  some  time,  finally  he  said,  "  Was  I 
talking  about  your  friend  ? "  I  said,  "  Yes,  sir,  you 
were ;  and  you  shall  not  do  so  in  my  presence ! " 
After  another  pause  he  asked,  "  Who  was  I  talk- 
ing about  ?  " 

I  told  him,  "You  were  talking  about  the  Lordy 
sir,  and,  if  you  can't  honor  him  with  your  lips,  you 
shall  not  use  his  name  in  my  presence  !  "  I  saw 
at  once  that  my  words  had  the  desired  effect. 
Standing  for  several  moments,  and  looking  very 
serious,  he  said  in  a  broken  tone,  "  Will  you  please 
excuse  me,  sir  ? "  I  told  him  I  would  forgive  him 
if  he  would  let  my  Friend's  name  alone.  He  said 
he  would  do  so.  The  lady  of  the  house  then 
asked  me  if  I  wished  to  retire.  I  told  her  I 
would  like  to  do  so.  Taking  a  lamp,  she  started 
to  lead  the  way  into  a  bedroom.  I  got  as  far  as 
the  door  when  I  felt  that  the  Lord  would  have,  me 
pray  right  then  and  there.     I  stopped  and  said, 


432     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

"  Madam,  I  should  like  to  read  and  pray  before  I 
retire."  She  immediately  looked  at  her  husband, 
who  stood  just  behind  me.  He  said  to  her,  "Cer- 
tainly, certainly  !  tell  him  certainly  !  "  She  then 
said,  "  Of  course  you  can  !  "  I  then  took  out  my 
Bible  and  read  a  chapter,  and  knelt  to  pray. 

During  the  prayer  the  large  man  who  had  so 
profaned  the  name  of  my  Friend,  responded  several 
times,  in  words  like  the  following  :  "  Amen  ! 
Lord  grant  it  !  Lord,  hear  him  pray ! "  etc.  It 
was  like  praying  in  an  ice-house. 

I  then  retired,  and  slept  sweetly  all  night. 

When  I  came  out  of  my  room  next  morning 
the  lady  had  breakfast  ready  for  me. 

While  eating  she  asked,  "  Did  they  disturb  you 
last  night  .'*  "  I  told  her  I  never  slept  more  sweetly 
in  my  life.  She  seemed  astonished,  and  told  me 
that  they  were  carousing  till  three  in  the  morning, 
and  several  times  swore  that  they  would  go  in 
there  and  get  that  old  elder  by  the  heels  and  drag 
him  out,  and  make  him  preach,  and,  said  she, 
"  I  was  really  afraid  they  would  do  it."  I  said, 
"  Sister,  did  you  know  that  the  angel  of  the  Lord 
stayed  at  your  house  last  night  .-*  "  As  she  gazed  at 
me  I  saw  that  she  understood  me  to  claim  to  be  an 
angel.  I  said,  "  Dear  sister,  don't  misunderstand 
me  :  I  am  an  unworthy  sinner  saved  bythe  grace 
of  a  loving  Saviour;  but  David  says,  'The  angel 
of   the    Lord   encampeth   round  about  them  that 


SPECIAL   PROVIDENCES.  433 

fear  him,  and  delivereth  them.'  I  fear  the  Lord, 
and  his  angel,  no  doubt,  guarded  my  door  last 
night,  and  kept  those  men  away."  The  tears  ran 
down  the  woman's  cheelcs,  and  she  said  with  a 
sigh,  "  Well,  I  don't  know  what  I  was  ever  born 
for,  anyway.  When  I  was  married  I  was  a  Chris- 
tian, and  my  husband  claimed  to  be  one.  But  he 
got  to  going  with  bad  company,  and  you  see  where 
Jic  is,  and  I  am  hopeless."  I  said,  "The  Lord 
bless  you,  my  sister."  The  tears  flowed  anew  as 
she  said,  "  I  am  glad  that  somebody  has  sympathy 
for  me." 

I  believe  God  will  fasten  that  prayer  and  that 
visit  on  the  hearts  of  some  of  those  people,  and 
will  finally  bring  them  into  the  fold.  It  was  a 
hard  spot,  but  I  believe  the  Lord  led  me  there, 
and  protected  me  while  there,  and  will  bless  in  his 
own  good  time.  The  Lord  has  manifested  his 
special  providence  to  me  in  many  instances  which, 
if  all  were  written,  would  fill  a  large  volume. 
Many  of  those  incidents  have  passed  from  my 
memory.  I  was  once  preparing  to  start  for  North 
Carolina.  My  wife  said  that  I  would  have  to  buy 
some  new  shirts  before  I  went,  for  my  old  ones 
were  about  worn  out.  I  told  her  that  I  had  not 
enough  money  to  buy  my  ticket,  and  that  I  could 
not  possibly  buy  any  shirts.  About  three  days 
before  the  time  arrived  when  I  was  to  start,  I 
received /<??^rnice  new  shirts  by  mail,  and  I  never 


434     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

have  known  who  sent  them.  In  this  way  we,  as  a 
family,  have  received  much  of  the  clothes  we  have 
worn  for  years.  Each  winter,  as  it  came  on,  the 
good  Lord  has  opened  kind  and  loving  hearts  who 
with  willing  hands  have  packed  and  shipped  us 
barrels  of  clothing.  These  often  contained  more 
than  we  needed,  or  some  articles  that  did  not  fit 
any  member  of  our  family.  With  these  we  have 
made  other  poor  ones  glad.  Inasmuch  as  the 
many  kind  donors  have  thus  clothed  the  Lord's 
poor  they  have  done  it  unto  him.  The  reward 
will  be  given  them  "at  the  resurrection  of  the 
just." 

It  has  been  reported  by  enemies  by  way  of  per- 
secution, and  by  professed  friends,  perhaps  on 
account  of  jealousy,  that  I  was  receiving  great 
sums  of  money.  This  has  so  grieved  me  that  I 
have  sometimes  suffered  want  rather  than  let  my 
condition  be  known.  At  such  times  my  prayers 
and  tears  have  been  known  only  to  my  precious 
Lord. 

In  1888  I  contracted  a  part  of  my  home  for 
quite  a  sum  of  money,  and  in  order  that  my 
brethren  might  rejoice  with  me  in  the  hope  that  I 
would  soon  be  able  to  pay  my  debts  and  have 
something  left  to  help  the  cause  of  truth,  I  re- 
ported the  trade  through  the  Crisis.  The  man 
who  made  the  purchase  failed  to  meet  a  single 
payment  after  the  first  one,  and  left  the  country. 


SPECIAL   TROVIDENCES.  435 

Brethren,  thinking,  of  course,  that  I  was  above 
want,  did  not  send  any  help  at  all.  My  hopes 
were  not  realized,  and  I  was  placed  in  a  terrible 
strait  between  two,  —  whether  to  lay  my  Bible  by, 
and  seek  employment  for  a  living,  or  go  on  in  the 
Lord's  work  and  trust  him  still.  I  praise  the 
Lord  that  man's  extremity  is  his  opportunity.  He 
seldom  sends  what  we  do  not  need,  or  before  we 
need  it. 

I  went  to  Aurora,  111.,  to  a  camp-meeting. 
There  a  servant  of  God  told  me  that,  after  in- 
quiring of  the  Lord  to  know  what  he  should  do, 
he  was  told  to  "go  South  and  be  subject  to 
Cargile's  arrangement  for  three  months."  He 
came,  and  stayed  several  days  at  my  house.  We 
then  took  a  trip  through  Georgia  and  Arkansas 
together.  At  the  Conference  in  Georgia  a  collec- 
tion was  taken  to  pay  our  expenses,  but,  notwith- 
standing his  own  needs,  he  would  not  take  a 
single  dollar  of  the  twenty-seven  contributed,  but 
insisted  that  the  Lord  said  I  must  have  it.  This 
was  quite  a  help  and  an  encouragement  to  me. 
We  gave  each  other  the  holy  kiss  in  Cleveland, 
Ark.,  he  going  on  to  Texas,  and  I  returning  to 
Dyer,  Tenn.  There  I  saw  a  copy  of  the  Crisis^ 
and  read  his  report,  telling  much  more  of  my  con- 
dition than  I  thought  he  knew. 

I  had  killed  a  yearling  steer  and  had  plenty  of 
beef  and  sweet  potatoes  while  he  was  with  us  in 


436     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

our  home,  but  he  discerned  things  as  they  were, 
and  told  it  out  truthfully  and  much  better  than  I 
could  have  done.  As  I  read  the  report  I  felt  tried 
and  humiliated,  and  began  almost  to  censure  him, 
but  in  the  last  lines  he  said,  "  I  have  written  just 
as  I  think  the  Lord  would  have  me  write." 

I  thought,  "  Well,  if  the  Lord  made  him  write 
it,  I  ought  not  to  be  annoyed  about  it."  This 
was  published  Nov.  7.  I  owed  one  hundred 
dollars  interest  on  a  mortgage  which  would  fall 
due  the  first  of  the  next  month.  When  the  day 
arrived  I  had  money  to  pay  it,  and  twenty-five 
dollars  over.  And  soon  afterward  we  received 
two  barrels  of  clothing.  I  am  satisfied  that  God 
sent  that  faithful  servant,  and  led  him  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  make  that  report,  the  result  of 
which  bridged  the  dark  chasm  of  want  and  passed 
us  safely  over  it.     "  Glory  to  his  name  !  " 

By  and  by  the  mortgage  above  referred  to  was 
well-nigh  due.  The  man  who  had  all  the  year 
promised  to  pay  me  the  thousand  dollars  in  time 
to  settle  the  debt,  refused  to  do  anything,  and  I 
was  in  danger  of  losing  my  home.  After  making 
several  efforts  in  vain  to  borrow  the  money  I  gave 
it  up. 

The  church  in  Boston  gave  me  a  call  to  become 
their  pastor.  After  mature  thought  and  prayer  I 
concluded  to  give  up  my  home  and  let  the  mortga- 
gee  sell    it,    and  wrote  the    brethren    in    Boston 


SPECIAL   PROVIDENCES.  437 

accepting  their  proposition.  I  went  to  the  meet- 
ing of  the  Georgia  Conference  last  October  (1890), 
and  brethren  there  proposed  to  raise  the  money 
to  pay  off  the  mortgage  and  save  my  home,  pro- 
vided I  would  resign  the  Boston  call,  and  spend 
the  year  with  them  in  evangelistic  work. 

Accordingly  I  tendered  my  resignation,  which 
was  conditionally  accepted.  North  Carolina  and 
West  Virginia  agreed  to  help  raise  the  amount 
and  have  me  spend  a  proportionate  part  of  the 
year  with  them.  They,  with  other  help,  furnished 
me  enough  to  pay  the  debt  except  six  hundred 
dollars,  which  brethren  thought  they  could  raise. 
They  gave  me  eighty-two  dollars  and  eighty-five 
cents  the  first  of  January,  and  agreed  to  send  the 
balance  to  me  in  Philadelphia  by  the  13th,  to 
enable  me  to  go  on  to  New  York  and  settle  the 
mortgage  the  day  following,  which  was  the  date  of 
maturity.  I  went  to  Philadelphia  and  waited  till 
the  15th,  and  received  no  news  from  those  who 
were  to  raise  the  fund.  During  the  week  fifty- 
two  dollars  came  from  West  Virginia.  On  the 
15th  I  visited  an  aged  lady  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and,  in  order  to  inform  her  of  the  cause 
of  my  week's  tarry  in  her  city,  I  told  her  I  was 
expecting  the  money,  and  had  been  sadly  disap- 
pointed. When  I  arose  to  leave  she  placed  six 
fifty  dollar  bills  in  my  hand,  saying,  "  If  you  don't 
hear  from  them  and  need  this,  use  it  and  send  me 


438      AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

your  note.  If  you  don't  need  it  send  me  your 
check  for  it."  Such  unexpected  kindness,  be- 
stowed without  the  asking,  filled  my  eyes  with 
tears  of  joy,  and  my  heart  with  gratitude  to  her 
who  gave  it,  and  praise  to  God  from  whom  all 
blessings  flow. 

That  certainly  was  a  special  providence. 

Next  morning  I  went  to  a  bank  and  borrowed 
three  hundred  dollars  on  ninety  days'  time,  which 
was  enough  to  complete  the  amount  needed.  A 
dear  brother  in  the  city  endorsed  for  me.  Next 
day  I  paid  the  mortgage  and  freed  my  home  and 
felt  happy.  Finally,  news  from  Georgia  came 
that  on  account  of  the  panic  and  the  low  price  of 
cotton  they  had  failed  to  collect  any  of  the  sub- 
scription except  what  the  few  around  Minton's 
Chapel  had  given  to  make  the  sum  above  men- 
tioned (^82.85).  I  remained  in  Boston  over  a 
month,  during  which  time  I  paid  one  hundred 
dollars  on  the  bank-note.  The  note  fell  due  the 
i6th  of  April,  and  I  had  not  a  dollar  of  it.  But 
the  Lord's  cause  must  be  honored,  and  he  put  it 
into  the  hearts  of  a  kind  brother  and  sister  to  lend 
me  one  hundred  each,  and  they  sent  to  the  bank 
and  paid  that  note.  I  mention  these  things  simply 
to  glorify  God.  I  believe  he  will  open  the  way 
for  me  to  pay  every  cent  that  I  owe.  I  am  now 
testing  the  special  providence  of  God  every  day. 
The  proposition  to  which  I  have  alluded   induced 


SPECIAL   PROVIDENCES.  439 

me  to  move  to  the  city  of  Atlanta  in  order  to  be 
more  central.  Now  I  have  high  rent  to  pay,  and 
my  family  to  support,  with  no  income  at  all.  We 
trust  God  for  daily  bread. 

We  seldom  have  a  dollar  till  we  need  it.  I  am 
now  on  a  tour  through  the  lower  counties  of 
Georgia,  and  the  day  before  I  started  I  had  no 
means,  but  I  made  preparation  to  start.  I  went 
to  a  grocer  and  asked  him  to  furnish  my  family 
on  time,  till  my  return,  which  he  kindly  said  he 
would  do.  About  dark  I  told  my  wife  I  must  go 
to  the  post-office,  as  the  letter-carrier  had  brought 
me  no  mail,  and  that  I  felt  sure  there  must  be 
something  for  me.  I  went  and  received  several 
letters,  and  in  three  of  them  I  found  money, 
amounting  in  all  to  something  over  twenty-one 
dollars.  How  my  heart  rejoiced  !  I  took  enough 
of  it  to  carry  me  to  my  iirst  appointment,  and  left 
the  balance  with  my  wife  to  help  her  along  in  my 
absence. 

While  I  sit  here  in  Blackville,  Ga.,  and  write 
these  lines,  and  recount  the  many  wonderful 
mercies  and  special  providences  we  have  seen  and 
received  at  the  loving  hands  of  the  faithful 
stewards  of  a  merciful  Jesus,  my  heart  overflows 
with  praise  to  his  dear  name.  We  know  in  whom 
we  trust,  and  that  he  has  always  been  true  to  his 
promise.  Reader,  are  you  acquainted  with  this 
Saviour  .-•     If  not,  I  am  sorry  for  you.     I  wish  you 


440     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

and  all  the  world  would  know  him  just  as  he  is. 
Famines,  pestilences,  financial  panics,  and  all 
else  in  adversity  combined  can  not  diminish  our 
Father's  store,  or  slacken  his  hand  in  giving  to  his 
faithful  servants  food  and  raiment  just  as  they 
need  it.  Truly  "  The  eyes  of  the  Lord  are  upon 
the  righteous,  and  his  ears  are  open  unto  their 
cry"  (Ps.  34:   15). 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

FURTHER      EXPERIENCES      COPIED       FROM      VARIOUS. 

REPORTS  IN  THE    World's  Crisis,   1880,  1885. 

In  January,  1880,  while  preaching  in  the  vicinity 
of  Shiloh  Church,  DeKalb  Co.,  Ala.,  I  contracted  a 
severe  cold,  which  settled  on  my  lungs.  From 
there  I  went  to  Franklin  Co..  Tenn.,  and  preached 
nights  and  traveled  during  the  days  through  cold, 
misty  weather,  which  increased  the  cold. 

While  there,  I  spoke  in  the  dining-hall  of  the 
hotel  at  Cowan,  at  night.  The  hall,  although  a 
large  one,  was  filled  to  its  utmost  capacity,  and 
the  porch  was  crowded  with  attentive  listeners.  I 
coughed  very  hard  till  the  moment  I  began  speak- 
ing. I  asked  the  Lord  for  help,  and  it  came  in  a 
wonderful  manner,  for  I  spoke  one  hour  on  the 
resurrection  of  Christ,  without  coughing  once. 
The  next  night,  at  the  same  place,  I  spoke  again 
on  his  ascension  and  second  coming,  and  really 
felt  that  good  was  done. 

I  took  the  train  for  home  at  midnight.  When  I 
arrived  at  the  depot  a  terrible  rainstorm,  with 
heavy  thunder  and  lightning,  prevented  my  get- 
ting out  home,  and  I  stopped  at  the  hotel,  where  I 


442      AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

coughed  till  daylight.  I  walked  home  the  next 
morning,  and  before  night  had  such  severe  pains 
in  my  lungs  and  hips  that  I  could  not  walk  erect. 
Just  after  dark  my  neighbors  came  in  and  filled 
my  dwelling.  I  was  so  racked  with  pain,  and  so 
drawn  over  as  to  be  unable  to  stand.  The  people 
wanted  preaching,  and  I  tried  to  get  another  min- 
ister present  to  preach,  but  failed.  Now  came  a 
trial.  What  should  I  do  ?  After  asking  the  Lord 
for  help,  I  sat  in  my  chair,  reclining  against  the 
wall,  and  preached  to  them  thirty  minutes  on 
the  text,  "  I  will  come  again."  I  felt  blessed  in  the 
feeble  effort. 

The  next  day  I  was  some  better,  but  could  not 
stand  erect,  or  walk  without  pain.  At  1.30  the 
next  morning  I  took  the  train  for  East  Tennessee, 
for  a  week's  preaching-trip. 

I  preached  at  Bethel,  near  Ooltewah,  Saturday 
and  Sunday,  and  the  pains  seemed  to  concentrate 
in  the  back  of  my  neck,  and  between  my  shoul- 
ders. On  Monday,  I  began  to  preach  in  the  dwell- 
ing of  Bro.  John  Mitchell.  When  I  had  spoken 
about  twenty  minutes,  my  teeth  suddenly  came 
together,  and  I  could  not  open  my  mouth.  In 
both  ears  were  severe  pains,  and  a  great  sound 
resembling  the  crackling  of  brush  burning  in  a 
hogshead.  I  just  remarked,  "  I  am  sick,"  and  fell 
back  on  to  a  bed.  After  an  hour  or  so,  I  mounted 
a  mule,  and  started  for  the  train  at  Ooltewah.     On 


FURTHER   EXPERIENCES   IN    1880,  1885.        443 

the  way  everything  turned  green  and  very  dark, 
and  I  concluded  I  was  dying.  Dismounting,  I 
knelt  and  prayed,  saying,  "  O  Lord,  let  me  live  to 
get  home  to  my  wife  and  children  once  more,  and 
I  will  not  ask  for  another  minute  of  life  in  this 
world."  I  mounted  the  mule  as  best  I  could,  and 
rode  to  Bro.  John  W.  Smith's.     I  tied  the  mule  at 

the   gate,    and   approached  the  door.     Sr.    S 

was  on  the  porch.  Extending  her  hand,  she  said, 
"  You  are  sick,  are  you  not  .^  "  I  said,  "Yes." 
I  do  not  remember  taking  her  hand  at  all.  The 
next  thing  that  I  knew  I  was  on  an  army  cot  in 
front  of  the  fire.  It  was  midnight.  The  neighbors 
sat  around  me,  and  everything  about  the  cot 
smelled  of  camphor.  I  then  realized  that  I  had 
been  unconscious.  Next  day  I  prevailed  on  Bro. 
Smith  to  take  me  to  the  train.  The  people  thought 
I  was  not  able  to  go,  as  I  could  not  sit  up  alone  ; 
but  the  Lord  provided.  I  found  a  friend  on  the 
train  at  Ooltewah,  who  took  care  of  me  to  Chatta- 
nooga, and  then  assisted  me  into  the  train  for 
home,  and  bought  my  ticket  for  me.  Just  as  he 
left  me  lying  in  my  seat  a  Roman  Catholic  friend 
came  through  the  car,  and,  seeing  my  condition, 
took  my  head  on  his  lap,  and  took  care  of  me  like 
a  brother,  till  I  reached  home  at  eleven  o'clock, 
P.M.,  Jan.  29. 

I  was  put  under  the  care  of  two  physicians,  and 
received  from  my  neighbors  every  attention  that 


444      AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

a  Christian  community  could  give.  They  watched 
over  me  day  and  night  till  March  i,  during  which 
time  I  suffered  more  than  I  thought  any  being 
could,  and  live.  Twice  I  lost  all  hope  of  this  life, 
and  thought  I  must  yield  to  the  enemy.  But  I 
felt  that  I  was  ready,  having  done  what  I  could, 
and  should  I  fall  at  my  post  on  the  walls,  I  felt 
sure  of  a  glorious  resurrection.  But  one  thing 
troubled  me.  What  would  become  of  the  cause 
here .'' 

After  three  months  and  twenty  days  of  suffer- 
ing, I  was  conscious  one  morning,  but  very  weak 
and  low-spirited. 

Bro.  J.  J.  Smith  had  reported  my  sickness  to 
the  readers  of  the  Crisis  and  Bible  Banner. 

My  wife,  thinking  I  had  my  right  mind,  came 
with  thirty-four  letters  which  she  had  received  for 
me,  from  God's  saints,  scattered  from  Maine  to 
California.  All  said  they  were  praying  for  me. 
Some  said,  "  We  called  a  special  meeting  to  pray 
for  you.  We  can  not  let  you  die  ;  you  are  needed 
too  much  in  the  South."  Others  said  they  prayed 
for  me,  some  in  churches  and  prayer-meetings,  and 
others  in  the  family  or  in  secret.  When  she  had 
finished  reading  I  smiled  for  the  first  time  for 
three  months,  and  said  in  a  whisper,  for  I  was  too 
weak  to  speak  louder,  "  Nancy,  I  am  going  to  get 
well."  A  beam  of  delight  flashed  over  her  face  as 
she  said,  "  Do  you  think  so  ?"     I   replied,  "Yes,  a 


FURTHER   EXPERIENCES    IN  1880,  1885.        445 

man  is  a  fool  to  try  to  die,  when  so  many  of  God's 
saints  are  praying  for  him  ;  he  could  not  die  if  he 
wished  to." 

In  May,  1880,  I  wrote  :  — 

•*  I  am  so  much  improved  in  health  that  I  start 
to-day  for  Tennessee,  where  I  was  taken  sick  in 
January.  I  have  not  yet  tried  to  preach,  and  I  am 
as  'restless  as  a  fish  out  of  water.'  It  seems  to 
me  a  long  time  since  I  quit  the  field.  How  I  thank 
the  Lord  I  am  able  to  pack  my  saddle-bags  with 
tracts  to  start  with  the  sowing,  preparatory  to  the 
great  reaping  just  ahead  !  How  natural  it  seems 
to  be  thus  loaded  with  the  truths  we  love  so  well ! 
My  prayer  is,  Lord,  give  me  strength  to  go  and 
sow  the  seed,  and  let  it  fall  into  good  soil.  My 
wife  has  improved  in  health  ever  since  your  call 
for  prayers  for  us.  She  seems  better  than  she  has 
been  for  years.  I  feel  sure  God  is  preparing  us 
for  the  great  work  before  us.  I  feel  the  burden 
'Woe  is  me'  till  I  get  to  work." 

In  July  I  preached  in  Tennessee  and  Alabama, 
making  some  long  journeys,  God  blessing  in  the 
salvation  of  seven  whom  I  baptized  by  moonlight 
at  Cowan,  Tenn.  Several  backsliders  were  re- 
claimed. At  the  baptism  at  eleven  p.m.,  the  audi- 
ence stood  on  the  shore  and  sang  beautifully  in  the 
clear  light  of  the  moon. 

At  the  Eastern  camp-meeting,  that  year,  some 
kindly  admonished  me  to  stop  and  rest.     But  how 


446     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

can  I  rest  while  there  is  such  a  vast  field  here, 
filled  with  people  starving  for  the  truth,  and  into 
which  it  seems  none  of  our  ministers  will  come  ? 
Here  is  a  question  that  puzzles  me  ;  perhaps  some 
of  the  ministers  can  answer  it :  IV/iy  is  the  Lord 
j)artial  to  the  West  ?  Is  it  the  Lord  that  calls  so 
many  West  ?  Or  are  there  attractions  in  Cali- 
fornia and  other  western  States  above  those  in 
the  sunny  South  ?  If  the  Lord  sends  them  all 
West,  and  none  into  this  hard  southern  field,  I  am 
willing ;  for  if  the  Lord  don't  send  them  here,  we 
don't  want  them  to  come.  If  they  come  by  the 
Lord,  he  will  send  the  right  ones. 

In  February,  1880,  Bro.  Hiram  Hunger  wrote 
an  article  in  the  Crisis  giving  a  list  of  his  early 
experiences  in  preaching  the  Advent  Message  in 
the  East.  He  contrasted  it  with  the  comparatively 
easy  time  that  Advent  preachers  have  to-day.  I 
am,  to  some  extent  at  least,  living  over  again  such 
days  as  he  speaks  of.  Indeed,  God's  truth  has 
always  been  unpopular,  and  given  like  trials  to  its 
self-denying  advocates. 

One  Friday  in  December  I  worked  very  hard 
until  noon  getting  up  wood,  then  started  on  foot 
twenty  miles  to  a  meeting.  Soon  after  leaving 
home  it  began  to  snow  very  fast,  and  by  dark  it 
was  ten  inches  deep.  I  had  crossed  the  Tennessee 
River,  and  climbed  Sand  Mountain  a  mile  and  a 
quarter  to  the  top,   and  had  traveled  about  five 


FURTHER  EXPERIENCES  IN   1880,   1885.        44/ 

miles  on  the  top,  when  darkness  came  on.  I  wan- 
dered until  eight  o'clock,  and  finally  found  a  house 
in  the  woods,  where  I  stopped  over  night,  finishing 
my  journey  to  the  church  in  the  morning,  which 
was  five  miles  farther.  I  preached  to  the  people, 
and  then  walked  over  the  frozen  snow  six  miles  to 
an  evening*  meeting.  Sunday  morning  retraced 
the  six  miles  back  to  the  church  ;  preached  again, 
and  after  taking  dinner  walked  home,  twenty  miles, 
before  I  slept.  I  paid  my  own  ferriage,  and  all 
that  I  received  aside  from  the  blessing  of  the  Spirit 
and  my  meals  was  an  attack  of  rheumatism,  which 
lasted  me  six  months.  I  believe  I  have  one  secret 
unknown  to  the  salaried  minister;  i.e.,  how  to  trust 
God  for  daily  supplies  of  food  and  clothes.  When 
we  live  by  faith,  and  go  at  his  bidding,  he  will 
not  let  us  suffer  more  than  will  benefit  us. 

In  January,  1881,  I  entered  a  sort  of  church 
trial  at  Goshen  Church,  four  miles  from  Cowan, 
Tenn.  I  had  baptized  ten  members  of  that  church 
(Presbyterian),  and  they  were  to  be  tried  for 
heresy.  Having  the  right  of  counsel  granted 
them,  they  called  on  me  to  defend  them. 

Their  pastor.  Rev.  George  H.  Sheldrake  of  Eng- 
land, withstood,  while  I  tried  to  defend  God's 
truth.  We  had  a  warm,  spirited  debate  that  lasted 
three  days.  At  the  close  the  ten  members  said 
they  were  more  confirmed  in  our  faith  than  ever, 
and  were   excluded.     The   third   and  last  day  of 


448     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN    A.   CARGILE. 

the  debate  I  spoke  four  hours.  My  opponent 
spoke  three  hours  and  a  half  the  day  before, 
in  opening  the  question  of  the  future  punishment 
of  the  wicked.  I  found  him  shrewd,  well  versed 
in  the  languages  and  dictionaries  ;  but  I  had  God's 
simple  truth.  One  of  his  ruling  elders,  when 
asked  how  the  debate  went,  replied,  V  It  is  going 
between  Webster's  dictionary  and  God's  Bible. 
Sheldrake  has  the  dictionary,  and  Cargile  the 
Bible." 

At  Cowan,  Tenn.,  in  May,  I  had  a  blessed  sea- 
son. Baptized  one  in  the  last  stages  of  consump- 
tion, who  was  carried  into  the  water  in  a  chair, 
her  face  beaming  like  an  angel's.  Her  husband 
left  home,  leaving  a  message  for  me  that  if  bap- 
tism made  his  wife  worse,  he  would  kill  me.  I 
said  God  would  not  let  it  make  her  worse.  She 
was  much  better  next  day.  In  July  following  I 
baptized  that  husband  in  the  same  place. 

"THE   MINISTER'S   WIFE." 

I  wrote  the  following  for  the  Crisis  in  1880: 
"  We  hear  a  great  deal  about  trials,  and  all  have 
their  share.  Some  have  more,  some  less.  We 
believe  from  the  teaching  of  the  Word  that  those 
who  have  the  severest  trials  will,  if  faithful,  gain 
a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory. 
But  who  has  the  greatest  trials.?  The  faithful 
minister,  perhaps,  is  ready  to  say  he  has.     If  true 


FURTHER   EXPERIENCES   IN   i8So,  1SS5.        449 

to  his  calling,  he  has  many  heart-burdens  that 
others  are  not  aware  of.  When  called  to  go  out 
into  the  wilderness,  he  does  not  ask  who  will  pay 
his  fare,  or  how  many  dollars  he  is  likely  to  get, 
nor  what  kind  of  a  job  the  Lord  has  for  him  to  do. 
But,  like  Philip,  when  ordered  from  Jerusalem  .to 
Gaza,  he  goes,  leaving  home  and  loved  ones,  just 
as  they  are.  He  trusts  all  in  the  hands  of  God. 
When  he  does  this,  he  generally  finds  congenial 
work,  as  Philip  did. 

But  while  his  trials  are  severe,  and  his  waiting 
crown  glorious,  they  are  not  to  be  compared  with 
the  trials  of  his  wife,  left  at  home  burdened  with 
cares.  It  may  be  she  is  sick  ;  or  it  may  be  some 
of  the  children  are,  and  she  don't  know  just  where 
to  write  or  telegraph  her  husband.  Perhaps, 
added  to  all  this,  she  really  needs  food  and  rai- 
ment to  make  herself  and  little  ones  comfortable. 
Could  all  sisters  be  patient  under  such  trials  }  It 
takes  quite  a  large  degree  of  grace.  Persons  who 
have  such  trials,  and  bear  them  without  murmuring, 
will  certainly  have  a  bright  crown  in  God's  ever- 
lasting kingdom.  Let  everybody  pray  for  the 
faithful  wives  [helpers]  of  our  ministers." 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

MEETINGS   IN   TEXAS. A  TUSSLE  WITH  THE   DEVIL. 

I  arrived  at  Union  Church  in  Tarrant  Co., 
Tex.,  on  Friday,  Aug.  21,  1885,  and  preached 
at  night,  feeling  very  tired,  for  Bro.  Miller  and 
his  daughter  Fannie  and  myself  had  driven  from 
Denton  in  a  buggy.  I  also  preached  Saturday 
morning  and  evening.  At  night  I  received  a 
note  from  a  prominent  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  saying  that  their  Camp-meeting  would 
begin  the  following  Thursday,  and  if  I  would  agree 
to  a  Union  meeting,  they  would  build  us  an  arbor. 
Sunday  at  eleven  a.m.  there  was  a  large  crowd 
out  at  Union,  who  gave  good  attention.  After 
the  sermon  I  told  the  people  I  had  received  a 
proposition  for  a  Union  meeting,  and  that  I  would 
"extend  the  hand  of  brotherly  fellowship,"  and 
when  their  minister  came,  if  he  refused  to  accept 
it,  I  should  be  free.  Accordingly  I  appointed  a 
committee  of  five  —  two  Methodists,  two  Advent- 
ists,  and  one  Baptist  —  to  locate  a  place  and 
superintend  the  building  of  an  arbor  of  brush, 
under  which  I  preached  until  Thursday  afternoon, 
with  increasing  interest.     Several  were  converted. 


A   TUSSLE   WITH   THE   DEVIL.  45  I 

The  children's  meetings  every  afternoon  were 
very  precious  indeed.  I  had  canceled  my  ap- 
pointment at  Glen  Rose  the  next  week  in  order 
to  be  with  them  in  their  Union  meeting.  It  was 
said  by  many  citizens  that  the  community  had 
never  been  so  united  before.  All  said,  "  It  is  the 
best  meeting  we  ever  had  here."  Many  were  the 
conjectures  as  to  what  "the  Methodist  preacher 
will  do  when  he  comes }  Will  he  unite  with  Car- 
gile  or  not .''"  His  own  brethren,  who  had  made 
the  agreement  for  him,  of  course,  expected  him  to 
fall  into  line  with  us,  and  work  in  harmony  with 
the  spirit  of  the  meeting. 

The  long-looked-for  Thursday  evening  came. 
About  sunset  three  men  drove  past  the  camp 
in   a   buggy,  and   I   was  told  that  one  of   them 

was  Bro.    A ,  the   preacher   in    charge.     We 

waited  until  a  late  hour  for  their  return.  Finally, 
about  eight  o'clock,  a  man  came  to  the  arbor,  who 

was  introduced  to  me  as  Bro.  Mc ,  etc.    I  kindly 

invited  him  to  the  desk,  and  said  to  him,  "  It  is 
expected  that  one  of  you  three  brethren  will 
preach  to-night ; "  to  which  he  replied  in  what  I 
call  a  rough  tone  of  voice,  "  Yes,  I  suppose  so,  as  I 

understand  Bro.  A 's  meeting  begins  to-night." 

That  hint  was  sufficient  for  me,  so  I  left  the  desk. 

As  I  did  so,  I  was  introduced  to  Bro.  A ,  and 

asked  him  to  take  a  seat  in  the  desk.  He  an- 
swered in  a  cool,  careless  way,  "  No ;  I  will  take  a 


452     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

chair."  Such  coolness  from  both  men  sent  a  chill 
to  my  heart :  I  knew  the  devil  was  in  the  camp. 
The  first  man  who  came  up  preached,  and  those 
already  seeking  salvation  came  to  the  altar  for 
prayer  as  usual.     After  singing  a  few  hymns,  Bro. 

A said  we  were  going  to  pray,  and  he  wished 

all  in  the  audience  to  kneel  who  wished  to  be 
remembered.  His  appeals  to  the  unconverted 
were  as  follows  :  **  Now,  I  want  all  who  have  a 
mother  in  heaven  to  kneel  down."  "  Now,  will 
you  just  kneel  through  respect  forme."*"  After 
such  invitations  many  still  remained  in  their 
seats.  He  then  knelt  himself,  and  after  a  few 
moments  of  silence,  he  prayed,  and  then  a  few 
more  songs  were  sung.  The  people  as  yet  had 
no  idea  of  trouble  among  the  preachers.     By  and 

by  Bro.  A made  the  same  appeals  as  before, 

and  knelt  in  silence  again.  This  time  the  people 
expected  him  to  ask  me  or  some  one  else  to  lead. 
He  remained  silent  so  long  that  I  had  finished 
my  secret  prayer,  and,  not  feeling  very  comfort- 
able, had  taken  my  seat.  He  then  began  to  make 
the  second  audible  prayer.  That  was  enough ! 
The  story  was  told  !  He  did  not  want  Cargile ! 
Everything  seemed  inharmonious,  and  yet  two 
w^ere  converted  that  night.  When  the  meeting 
broke  up  a  crowd  of  men  rushed  up  to  the  desk, 
and  one  of  them  wildly  called  out  to  me  and 
said,  "  Us  Union  crowd  wants  you  to  pull  out  of 


A   TUSSLE   WITH   THE   DEVIL.  453 

here,  and  we  will  build  you  an  arbor  in  the 
morning !  " 

I  replied,  "  *  Us  Union  crowd '  keep  still  and 
pray  !  "  Their  leader  said,  "  They  have  not 
treated  you  right,  and  we  don't  like  it.  They 
don't  want  you  here,  anyway."  I  replied,  "I  am 
praying,  and  I  want  you  to  pray  :  The  Lord  still 
reigns."  The  people  dispersed  in  sadness,  and  I 
passed  most  of  the  night  in  earnest  prayer. 

The  next  morning  I  came  to  the  arbor,  and 
there  found  two  men  angry  and  quarreling.  After 
taking  one  of  them  aside  and  talking  with  him, 
they  became  reconciled  to  each  other.  At  the 
same  time  one  of  the  Methodist  brethren  had  gone 
to  the  house  where  the  ministers  were  stopping,  to 
try  to  make  peace.  One  of  the  preachers  got  "  out 
of  sorts,"  and  some  very  unpleasant  things  tran- 
spired. The  minister,  however,  soon  felt  sorry, 
and  peace  was  made  between  them.  The  people 
were  gathered  in  little  squads  around  the  camp, 
and  all  looked  sad.  Several  Methodists  brought 
their  axes  "to  build  Cargile  an  arbor,"  they  said. 
Finally,  the  preacher  in  charge  came  near  the 
arbor  and  seated  himself  on  a  log.  Four  of  us 
approached  him.  Bro.  Miller  proposed  to  take 
the  vote  of  the  people,  but  the  minister  sternly 
refused.  I  said,  "  No  ;  these  people  are  not  capa- 
ble of  voting.  They  are  too  angry."  One  of  the 
company  said  to  me,  "  If  we  will  withdraw  and 


454     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN    A.    CARGILE. 

leave  you  and  Bro.  A ,  do  you  think  you  could 

fix  it?"  I  replied,  "Yes;  if  he  has  religion,  we 
can."  When  we  were  alone  he  asked,  "  Have 
you  ever  held  Union  meeting  with  one  of  our  itin- 
erant preachers  ?  "  I  told  him  "  Yes."  Then  he 
said,  "I  have  never  refused  to  preach  with  you." 
I  told  him  that  it  was  by  the  invitation  of  his  own 
brethren  that  I  stayed.  That  I  would  now  with- 
draw, but  I  knew  it  would  ruin  his  church,  and 
I  did  not  wish  to  injure  it.  He  agreed  with  me. 
He  then  asked  if  I  would  get  up  in  the  meeting, 
and  tell  the  people  that  we  had  reconciled  our  dif- 
ferences, and  had  agreed  to  go  on  with  the  meet- 
ing. The  meeting  throughout  that  day  had  not 
much  interest.  Some  were  converted  that  night, 
and  at  the  close  Bro.  Miller  called  me  aside  from 
the  audience  and  asked,  "What  are  you  going  to 
do .-' "  I  told  him  I  meant  to  work  for  the  Lord. 
He  asked,  "  Are  you  not  going  to  pull  out  of 
here,  and  go  to  Union  ? "  I  told  him,  "  No  !  " 
He  replied,"!  shall  in  the  morning."  "Well," 
said  I,  "the  sin  be  on  your  shoulders,  not  mine." 
He  said,  "  Don't  you  know  this  people  would 
nearly  all  go  with  us.-*"  "Yes,"  I  said;  "and 
that  is  just  why  I  will  not  go.  These  people  are 
not  to  blame  for  what  the  ministers  do,  and  I  don't 
wish  to  break  up  their  church,  neither  do  I  want 
to  build  on  the  downfall  of  others." 

The  next  morning  the  minister  sent  me  word  to 


A   TUSSLE   WITH   THE  DEVIL.  455 

lead  the  ten  o'clock  prayer-meeting,  and  to  pre- 
pare myself  to  preach  that  night. 

This  reconciled  things  to  some  extent. 

Sunday  their  own  men  did  the  preaching  at  eleven 
A.M.  and  one  p.m.  Bro.  Miller  announced  that  he 
would  speak  at  3.30  p.m.,  that  being  an  idle  hour. 
He  then  gave  them  a  very  straight  discourse  on 
the  kingdom. 

I  then  told  the  people  that  when  Brother  A 

put  me  on  the  stand  again  I  should  speak  on  the 
seven  seals.  This  interested  many.  They  wished 
to  know  when  it  would  be.  One  of  his  own  par- 
ishioners asked  him  when  I  would  speak  again  ; 
he  replied,  "That  is  not  worth  a  cent."  He  never 
asked  me  to  speak  again. 

There  being  no  meeting  for  Monday  after- 
noon, I  took  the  liberty  to  speak  on  that  subject. 
Tuesday  I  went  to  the  village  of  Grapevine,  and 
preached  to  a  full  house.  Wednesday  went  six 
miles  to  Pleasant  Glade,  and  preached  at  eleven 
A.M.  At  four  P.M.  baptized  one,  and  preached 
again  at  night.  Thursday  went  back  to  the  camp, 
but  had  the  sick-headache  too  badly  to  attend  the 
meeting.  Expecting  to  leave  the  next  morning,  I 
addressed  the  following  kind  note  to  the  preacher 
in  charge  :  — 

"Dear  Bro.  A : — I  am  suffering  with  sick- 
headache  too  much  to  come  out  to-day.     Will  you 


456     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.  CARGILE. 

be  so  kind  as  to  allow  me  to  preach  a  farewell  dis- 
course to-night,  and  at  the  close  open  the  doors  of 
the  Second  Advent  Church  for  the  reception  of 
members  ?     Please  answer,  and  oblige, 

Your  brother  in  the  love  of  Jesus, 

John  A.  Cargile." 

On  the  back  of  my  note  I  received  the  following 
brief  reply  :  — 

"  J.  A.  Cargile  :  —  Bro.  Wood  is  expected  to 
preach  to-night.  You  are  welcome  to  open  the 
door  of  your  church.  A." 

Five  or  six  brethren  of  other  churches  were 
present,  and  one  of  them  said,  "  Now,  Bro.  Cargile, 
there  is  a  time  when  forbearance  ceases  to  be  a 
virtue,  and  if  I  were  you  I  should  preach  at  Lone 
Elm  to-night."  I  told  him  I  would  make  him 
"Bishop"  of  this  concern.  He  arose  and  uttered 
a  cowboy's  expression,  "  Let  us  round  them  up, 
boys."  I  soon  found  out  what  that  meant,  for  sev- 
eral of  the  men  mounted  and  rode  in  different 
directions  to  notify  the  people,  while  two  men, 
with  a  team,  took  the  seats  from  the  Arbor  back 
to  the  Lone  Elm  Chapel.  Although  they  had 
only  about  three  hours  to  canvass  the  country,  I 
was  utterly  astonished  at  the  crowd.  God  blessed 
and   seven  joined    the    church.      That  night  the 


A   TUSSLE   WITH   THE   DEVIL.  457 

meeting  closed  at  the  Arbor,  and  I  saw  the  preach- 
ers no  more  ;  but  I  do  love  them  still,  and  do  hope 
that  the  result  of  this  meeting  will  forever  cure 
them  of  sectarianism  and  selfishness.  The  next 
morning  I  preached  at  Union,  when  two  more 
came  for  baptism.  We  then  went  to  the  water, 
where  I  baptized  eight  happy  souls,  making  nine 
baptized  and  ten  added  to  the  church. 

When  will  men  learn  that  selfishness  is  not  of 
God  .''  This  meeting  was  one  long  to  be  remem- 
bered by  the  people  of  that  community.  It  is  due 
to  the  Methodist  brethren  at  White's  Chapel  to 
say  that  none  of  them  were  at  fault.  They  were 
all  in  favor  of  a  Union  meeting,  and  all  opposed  ta 
the  conduct  of  the  preacher.  Some  twelve  or  fif- 
teen were  converted.     We  give  God  the  praise. 

OUR  WORK  AS  A  PEOPLE. 

don't     drink     THE    MILK     AND     THEN     ABUSE     THE 
cow.       (j.    A.    C.) 

[From  Crisis  of  June  21,  1887.] 

First,  I  want  to  say  Amen  to  Bro.  McKinstry's 
articles  on  church  order  and  organization,  published 
in  the  Crisis  a  few  weeks  ago.  The  ideas  he  sets 
forth  are  reasonable  and  full  of  common-sense, 
and  I  may  not  repeat  his  strong,  and,  I  think,  un- 
answerable arguments. 

We  are  certainly  a  chosen  people,  called  out  to 


458  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  A.  CARGILE. 

give  this  message  to  the  last  generation.  It  stands 
to  reason  that  this  can  be  better  done  by  system 
and  organization.  Look  around  us  and  ask  the 
question,  Who  is  it  that  has  sent  this  special  truth 
to  the  world?  Who  has  sent  the  most  tracts  and 
papers  teaching  the  speedy  coming  of  our  Lord 
and  eternal  life  through  him,  to  be  bestowed  on 
the  faithful  at  his  coming?  Who  is  it  that  has 
raised  more  funds  and  supported  more  missionaries 
and  evangelists  in  spreading  these  glorious  truths 
than  anybody  else?  The  answer  will  not  be  dis- 
puted, for  it  is  an  axiomatic  fact.  The  great  and 
glorious  work  has  been  done,  and  is  being  done 
by  organized  Adventists.  Some  who  disown  the 
body,  as  an  organization  I  mean,  and  deny  that 
they  are  Adventists,  may  do  something  on  this 
line ;  but  observation  shows  that  they  are  not  so 
successful.  I  believe  God  wants  us  to  be  organ- 
ized a.nd  separate  from  all  others  in  this  special  work. 
I  would  not  uncJiristianize  other  denominations, 
for  I  believe  they,  like  us,  have  many  noble,  warm- 
hearted saints.  But  their  faith  and  life-work  is 
very  different  from  ours.  They  work  believing 
they  will  go  to  heaven  when  they  die.  We  work 
hoping  to  be  ready  when  the  Master  comes.  To 
mix  up  this  work  don't  seem  possible ;  and,  if  it 
were,  I  cannot  see  that  God  ever  greatly  blessed 
such  milk  and  water  stuff. 


A   TUSSLE   WITH   THE   DEVIL.  459" 

While  I  am  an  Adventist,  I  am  a  liberal  one. 
But  my  liberality  is  not  narrow-gauged.  I  am 
just  liberal  enough  to  permit  any  who  are  not  Ad- 
ventists  to  go  where  they  please,  and  love  them 
still.  I  am  just  liberal  enough  to  allow  them  to 
take  any  name  they  please  without  disturbing 
them.  Some,  who  make  a  great  fuss  about  a 
broad  and  liberal  spirit,  are  so  narrow-gauged  in 
their  liberality  that  they  do  not  seem  to  think  I 
ought  to  be  known  as  an  Adventist.  To  all  such 
I  would  lovingly  say,  "Let  there  be  no  strife"  be- 
tween us. 

There  are  sometimes  things  coming  to  pass  in 
my  experiences  and  observations  that  make  me 
think  of  other  things  I  have  seen  on  another  line. 
For  instance,  here  is  a  case :  I  was  riding  horse- 
back not  a  great  while  ago  in  my  own  neighbor- 
hood. I  noticed  just  inside  the  gate  a  woman 
milking  a  cow.  She  being  on  the  opposite  of  the 
cow,  and  having  on  a  sun-bonnet,  never  noticed 
my  passing.  Just  when  I  was  within  six  steps  of 
her,  I  presume  she  got  the  last  drop  of  milk  she 
could  get  from  the  cow,  she  suddenly  straightened 
up  with  a  piece  of  board  about  three  feet  long, 
three  inches  wide,  and  a  half  inch  thick.  With 
that  she  pounded  the  poor  cow  three  times  on 
her  ribs,  which  were  clearly  visible  under  the  skin, 
before   the    animal    could    run  out  of    her  reach. 


460     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

*'Now  go"  said  the  woman  to  the  cow  who  had 
just  stood  so  quietly  to  give  her  the  nice  rich  milk. 
At  that  moment  looking  up  she  saw  me  and 
blushed  all  over  her  face.  I  said,  "Good  morning, 
Miss  L ."  In  a  moment  I  thought  of  a  par- 
allel case.  There  are  some  Adventists  in  the 
world  who  have  got  all  the  Advent  milk  they  can 
from  the  old  Advent  cow,  and  then  they  pound 
the  poor  cow  and  say,  ''Now go." 

It  seems  real  hard  to  see  great  big  yearlings, 
after  having  been  raised  on  Advent  milk,  who  now 
do  not  want  to  own  that  they  are  one  of  the 
Advent  cow's  yearlings ;  and  sometimes  they  act 
as  if  the  very  name  of  the  old  mother  cow  is  a 
stench  in  their  nostrils.  Brethren,  I  think  when 
yearlings  begin  to  gore  their  mother,  and  still 
want  to  hang  on  to  the  teats  and  draw  the  luscious 
milk,  it  is  about  time  to  wean  the  calf. 

Paul  understood  the  work  of  an  evangelist  to  be 
to  "set  things  in  order"  in  the  (church)  house  of 
God,  and  to  ordain  elders  in  every  city.  (Titus 
I  :    5  ;    2  Tim.  2  :   2  ;    i  Cor.  7  :    17. 

If  an  Advent  evangelist  does  his  duty  in  this 
respect,  then  he  will  organize,  set  in  order  Advent- 
ist  churches,  and  ordain  Adventist  elders  to  take 
the  oversight  thereof.  And  I  think  those  who 
are  too  liberal  to  do  this  ought  to  have  just  liber- 
ality enough  to  liberate  the  Advent  teat,  and  leave 


A   TUSSLE   WITH   THE   DEVIL.  46 1 

the  Advent  milk  for  those  who  will  love,  honor, 
and  feed  the  old  Advent  cow,  and  not  disown  the 
name,  nor  abuse  the  cow. 

Brethren,  these  are  my  simple  thoughts  that 
some  things  have  a  parallel  among  us  as  a  people. 
These  remarks  are  not  personal,  but  simply  fired 
from  a  scatter-gun,  to  answer  some  anonymous 
letters  I  have  received. 

But  I  believe  there  is  something  that  needs  to 
be  remedied. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

MISCELLANEOUS  ITEMS  OVERLOOKED  OR  FORGOTTEN 
IN   PREPARING  THE  PRECEDING  CHAPTERS,  ETC. 

In  1887,  or  1888,  I  was  requested  to  go  to  Oaky- 
Grove  (Primitive  Baptist  Church),  in  Johnson  Co., 
Ga.,  to  preach  the  funeral  sermon  of  Bro.  Trull's 
child,  which  had  been  buried  in  that  churchyard. 

I  arrived  at  the  place  on  time,  and  found  a  great 
crowd  around  the  house  but  the  door  locked,  and 
on  the  wall  a  notice  forbidding  me  to  preach  in  the 
house.  I  then  proposed  to  preach  at  the  child's 
grave,  but  notice  came  from  the  man  who  owned 
all  the  land  around  the  church,  forbidding  me  to 
preach  on  his  premises.  We  then  took  up  a  line 
of  march  through  the  woods,  while  the  crowd  sang 
in  lively  strains,  "  How  firm  a  foundation.''  We 
marched  over  a  mile  to  another  man's  territory, 
and  found  "a  certain  water,"  known  as  the  "Gar 
hole,"  in  which  I  baptized  five  or  six,  and  then 
preached  the  funeral  sermon  in  the  woods,  while 
the  people  sat  on  the  ground. 

I  went  to  Corinth  Church,  in  the  same  county, 
to  preach,  and  found  on  the  church  door  the  fol- 
lowing : — 


MISCELLANEOUS   ITEMS,  ETC.  463 

"  NOTICE. 

We,  the  undersigned  members  and  friends  of 
Corinth  Church,  respectfully  forbid  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Cargile's  preaching  in  or  near  our  church.  This, 
Nov.  loth,  1885.  (Signed)  Rev.  J.  W.  Drake,  J. 
L.  Harralle,  Secretary  ;  J.  T.  Skinner,  F.  R.  Drake, 
A.  M.  Skinner,  Sarah  A.  Harralle,  Mary  P.  Hutch- 
inson, Nancy  J.  Skinner,  Mary  Ann  Drake." 

I  took  my  pencil  and  wrote  under  the  above  on 
the  same  paper  the  following  words  :  — 

•'  Dear    Brethren  :  —  My   Saviour    taught    a 
spirit   of  love,  so  I  will  not  intrude.     I  can  preach 
in  the  woods  as  he  did.     May  God  bless  you  all ! 
Your  loving  brother, 

J.  A.  Cargile," 

I  arrived  in  the  beautiful  city  of  Manhattan, 
Riley  Co.,  Kansas,  on  the  eighth  day  of  April,  1887. 
I  stopped  over  night  with  Bro.  Israel  B.  Coffey, 
formerly  of  North  Carolina.  Saturday,  the  9th, 
Bro.  Carey  came  and  carried  me  to  his  home  near 
Stockdale.  On  Sunday,  loth,  I  spoke  in  Stockdale, 
at  eleven  a.m.,  and  at  Paul's  schoolhouse  three 
miles  away,  at  night.  Monday,  nth,  I  preached 
in  Stockdale.  Bro.  Carey  and  wife  were  the  only 
known  persons  waiting  for  the  Lord  there,  and  I 
did  not  at  first  find  that  warm  hospitality  I  am 
used  to  in  the  South.     I  was  on  the  Blue  River, 


464     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

in  the  Blue  Bottoms,  among  the  Blue  Mountains, 
and  it  was  just  the  place  for  a  preacher  to  feel 
blue  if  he  had  any  blue  about  him. 

Tuesday,  12th,  preached  at  Paul's  again  at  night, 
and  at  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Paul  a  collection  was 
taken,  and  they  gave  me  $3.70.  Wednesday,  13th, 
following  the  example  of  Bro.  Munger  and  some 
of  the  more  ancient  apostles,  I  went  fishing.  An 
old  grandma,  seventy-four  years  old,  sent  me 
twenty-five  cents.  In  the  evening  we  crossed  the 
river  in  a  wagon  and  drove  through  the  Blue 
Bottoms  to  a  schoolhouse  in  District  No.  2,  where 
I  preached  to  a  small  assembly  who  gave  marked 
attention. 

Thursday,  14th,  spoke  at  night  in  Stockdale. 
House  full.  Good  interest.  Collection,  $3.58. 
Private  donations,  $15. 

I  took  train  at  noon  on  Friday,  the  15th,  for 
Manhattan.  Drove  out  to  Bro.  Strong's  to  tea.  I 
preached  in  the  schoolhouse  near  by  in  the  even- 
ing. Saturday,  i6th,  I  took  train  for  Salina,  in 
Saline  Co.,  where  I  met  Bro.  Edward  Seusey, 
who  had  heard  me  two  years  ago  at  Springfield, 
Mass. 

Sunday,  the  17th,  was  too  wet  for  meeting. 
Monday,  the  i8th,  spoke  at  Bavaria  in  the  even- 
ing. Tuesday,  19th,  I  wrote  from  six  a.m.  to 
seven  p.m.,  and  spoke  to  a  few  at  eight  o'clock. 
Wednesday,  20th,  Sr.  Seusey  and  I  had  a  pleasant 


MISCELLANEOUS    ITEMS,   ETC.  46$ 

visit  vvitli  Sr.  Hines.  At  night  back  to  Bavaria, 
where  I  preached  from  the  chart.  The  crowd  was 
larger,  but  there  was  more  carelessness  manifested, 
and  more  whispering  and  laughing  in  the  audience 
than  I  had  seen  in  ten  years  altogether  in  the 
South.  I  was  told  that  there  is  a  band  of  infidels 
there  who  hold  regular  meetings,  calling  them- 
selves "  The  Circular  Union."  Private  donations 
were  $9.70. 

Thursday,  21st,  Bro.  and  Sr.  Seusey  carried  me 
to  Salina,  where  I  took  train  for  Glen  Elder 
in  Mitchell  Co.,  on  purpose  to  visit  Eld.  S.  R. 
Knox,  for  I  had  not  as  yet  seen  an  Adventist 
minister  in  Kansas.  I  arrived  at  Glen  Elder  late 
in  the  evening,  and  stayed  at  Bro.  Truby's  restau- 
rant free.  May  God  bless  him!  Friday  a.m.,  a 
dear  brother  drove  to  the  house  of  Bro.  Knox 
and  carried  me,  and  instead  of  charging  me,  he 
left  ^10  in  the  hand  of  Bro.  Knox  for  me.  The 
Lord  will  reward  him.  I  enjoyed  a  precious  sea- 
son in  the  pleasant  home  of  dear  Bro.  Knox,  the 
aged  veteran  and  State  Evangelist  of  Kansas. 
Saturday,  23d,  started  at  seven  a.m.  for  Manhat- 
tan, arriving  at  half-past  twelve  in  the  night. 

Sunday,  24th,  I  went  to  the  Christian  Church  at 
eleven  a.m.,  and  enjoyed  a  glorious  feast  by  hearing 
a  sermon  from  their  beloved  pastor.  Eld.  George  F. 
Hall.  I  then  went  eight  miles  to  Ashland  school- 
house,  and    spoke   to  a  house  full  at  three  p.m. 


466        AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.  CARGILE. 

Returning  to  Manhattan  in  the  evening,  Bro.  Hall 
kindly  gave  way  for  me  to  fill  his  desk.  I  also 
used  their  church  the  three  following  evenings, 
and  the  Lord  blessed.  Thursday  night  I  enjoyed 
a  heavenly  feast  in  their  prayer-meeting,  at  the 
close  of  which  I  was  permitted  to  enter  his  pool 
and  bury  four  in  baptism.  I  shall  not  soon  forget 
the  great  kindness  shown  me  by  those  dear  breth- 
ren and  sisters  of  that  Christian  church. 

Thursday,  28th,  I  went  alone  to  the  jail  in 
Manhattan,  and  spent  an  hour  with  the  prisoners. 
I  read  the  "word,"  and  prayed  with  the  dear  un- 
fortunate men.  Friday,  29th,  after  visiting  the 
family  of  Bro.  Strong,  I  started  for  Walnut,  in 
Crawford  Co.  Priv^ate  donation  in  Manhattan, 
$20. 

I  stopped  over  in  Topeka,  and  enjoyed  the  hos- 
pitality of  Bro.  and  Sr.  Jamieson.  I  also  met 
Bro.  Snyders  of  Topeka,  the  second  minister  of 
like  precious  faith  I  had  seen  in  the  State.  I 
reached  Walnut  Sunday,  May  i,  at  i.io  a.m.  Do- 
nations thus  far,  $61.98.     Expenses,  $56.58 

I  find  Kansas  a  beautiful  country,  with  rich, 
fertile  soil.  I  find  plenty  of  everything  but  Chris- 
tians ;  and  especially  Christians  looking  for  the 
Lord  to  come  as  he  promised.  I  have  only  met 
about  half  a  dozen  believers  of  these  views.  I 
learn  that  those  who  look  for  the  Lord  are  much 
scattered  over  the  State. 


MISCELLANEOUS   ITEMS,   ETC.  467 

Those  few  I  have  found  are  hungry  for  solid 
truth  to  be  preached.  They  have  been  sending 
for  two  years  for  me  to  come  from  Alabama, 
nearly  one  thousand  miles,  to  preach  to  these 
people.  At  a  great  sacrifice  I  am  here.  I  find 
very  few,  comparatively,  who  profess  religion  at 
all ;  and  some  of  them  only  formally.  I  learn 
that  infidelity  is  plentiful. 

I  look  round  and  see  other  denominations  repre- 
sented, and  funds  provided  for  the  spread  of  what 
we  regard  as  error.  Why  can  we  not  have  a 
fund  to  propagate  the  great  truths  of  the  gospel  ? 
We  can  if  we  will,  and  very  easily  too.  But 
how  can  we  have  funds  in  the  treasury  ?  I 
answer.  By  a  sacrifice.  In  olden  times  God  re- 
quired the  tetitJi  (tithe)  of  all  they  made.  We 
don't  really  think  the  gospel  standard  is  any 
lower  now. 

But  let  us  make  an  estimate  far  belOw  that  of 
giving  the  tenth.  I  believe  one  has  estimated 
that  we  have  about  eighty-five  hundred  advent- 
ual  believers  in  what  is  termed  the  Western 
field.  Now,  suppose  these  should  each  lay  by  on 
every  first  day  of  the  week  the  small  sum  of  t^vo 
cents.  That  would  figure  up  $170  per  week,  and 
in  one  year  it  would  amount  to  ^8,840!  Just 
think  of  it  !  This  would  only  amount  to  one 
dollar  and  four  cents  a  year  per  member.  Breth- 
ren, think  over  it,  pray  over  it,  act  upon  it,  and 
God  will  bless  you. 


468     AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN   A.  CARGILE. 

In  August,  1888,  I  visited  the  annual  meeting 
of  the  Piedmont  A.  C.  Conference  of  North  Caro- 
lina, held  with  Eld.  Joseph  P.  King's  Church  in 
the  city  of  Wilmington,  where  we  had  a  blessed 
meeting.  The  work  which  I  started  with  my  first 
sermon  in  that  State,  in  Bro.  Patterson  Coffey's 
apple-orchard,  in  Caldwell  Co.,  in  June,  1874,  had 
grown  to  a  Conference  numbering  over  thirteen 
hundred  members,  I  tarried  with  the  church  one 
week,  and  we  enjoyed  heavenly  refreshings. 

I  am  now.  May,  1891,  with  the  church  in  Wil- 
mington again.  The  friends  are  all  glad  to  see 
me.  The  Lord  is  with  us  in  the  meetings,  and  I 
pray  that  good  may  come. 

I  again  left  my  home  Sept.  26,  1889,  and  arrived 
in  Charleston,  the  capital  of  West  Virginia,  on  the 
27th.  Here  an  appointment  had  been  arranged 
for  me  at  night.  The  chapel  was  crowded.  Three 
ministers  present  —  one  Baptist,  one  Methodist 
South,  the  other  what  is  known  here  as  Northern 
Methodist,  which  is  the  old  original  M.  E.  church. 
I  spoke  on  the  restitution.  The  Methodist  South 
minister  followed,  and  all  seemed  harmonious. 

The  28th  I  spoke  on  holiness.  At  night  the 
Baptist  minister  was  present,  and,  after  I  had 
spoken  on  the  work  of  antichrist,  followed  with 
interesting  remarks,  which  showed  that  he  is  wide 
awake  to  the  dangers  which  threaten  the  American 
people. 


MISCELLANEOUS   ITEMS,   ETC.  469 

While  I  was  in  Charleston,  I  received  news  that 
my  wife  was  sick.  She  had  broken  down  with  ner- 
vous prostration  over  the  death  of  my  dear  father. 
This  closed  my  labors  for  the  present,  and  I  went 
home  to  find  her  better,  but  still  very  weak  and 
nervous.  During  this  trip  in  West  Virginia  I  be- 
lieve I  traveled  over  the  worst  roads  I  ever  saw, 
but  the  kind  people  came  out  well  where  we  had 
an  opportunity  for  meetings.  Pray  that  I  may  be 
all  the  Lord's. 

Since  I  began  this  chapter  in  Wilmington,  N.C., 
I  have  preached  in  Augusta,  Ga.,  Stevenson, 
Ala.,  Magnolia,  Wis.,  camp-meeting,  where  I  bap- 
tized four;  and  am  now,  June  17,  1891,  holding  a 
meeting  at  Volga,  Ind.,  and  making  my  home  with 
the  loving  family  of  Bro.  George  Wallace,  and 
Sr.  M.  A.  Tibbetts.  My  strength  is  preserved 
almost  miraculously. 

Coming  out  of  Chattanooga  one  night,  a  stranger 
sat  beside  me,  who,  learning  I  lived  at  Stevenson, 
said,  "  Oh,  by  the  way,  you  say  you  live  at  Steven- 
son ;  do  you  know  Cargile  .?  "  I  replied,  "  Yes  ;  I 
have  seen  him  a  few  times."  He  asked,  "  Did  you 
ever  hear  him  preach  ? "  I  answered,  "  I  have 
heard  him  try  a  few  times."  In  seeming  surprise 
he  said,  "Can't  he  preach.?"  I  told  him  that  I 
did  not  consider  Cargile  anything  extra.  "  Well ! 
well ! "  said  he  ;  "  I  never  heard  so  much  talk  about 
a  man  in  all  my  life,  and  I  have  said  if  he  ever 


470     AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

preached  within  twenty  miles  of  me  I  would  hear 
him  !  "  When  I  told  him  that  I  was  the  man,  he 
rose  in  a  very  excited  manner,  and,  taking  my 
shoulder  and  shaking  me,  said,  "  Now,  please, 
don't  think  hard  of  me  ;  I  meant  no  harm ;  I  was 
only  telling  you  what  I  have  heard."  I  assured 
him  that  I  did  not  care  what  anybody  said. 

In  April  of  the  present  year  (1891)  I  was  at 
home  in  Atlanta,  Ga.,  and  attended  meeting  and 
preached  for  Bro.  Brewer  on  a  Sunday  morning, 
and  in  the  afternoon  I  went  to  hear  a  man  of  the 
Plymouth  Brethren.  At  the  close  of  his  sermon 
on  Matt.  25  :  31-34,  which  was  the  most  peculiar 
I  ever  heard,  I  went  forward  and  extended  my 
hand  and  introduced  myself,  and  invited  him  to 
attend  my  meeting  the  following  evenings.  He 
asked,  "  Did  y»u  write  a  book  called  '  True  The- 
ology ' }  I  told  him  I  did.  Then  he  said,  "  I 
want  nothing  to  do  with  you,  sir."  I  asked, 
"  Have  you  seen  the  book  ?"  He  said  he  had.  I 
then  asked  him  if  he  had  read  it.  He  said  he  had. 
I  asked  him  how  he  liked  it.  He  said  there  was 
no  Christianity  in  it.  I  then  asked  him  how  much 
of  it  he  had  read.  He  replied,  "  I  read  the  intro- 
duction, and  that  is  all  I  want  to  know  about  you, 
sir."  I  said,  "  Well,  come  over  and  let  us  love 
each  other,  anyway."  He  replied,  "It  is  not  a 
matter  of  love,  sir.  It  is  the  truth  that  I  look  at." 
"Oh,  well,"  said  I,  "  come  over  and  let  us  investi- 


MISCELLANEOUS    ITEMS,    ETC.  47 1 

gate  for  truth,  then."  He  positively  declined,  and 
I  left  him.  God  pity  such  a  man,  claiming  to  be 
a  minister  of  a  loving  Jesus,  who  said,  "  By  this 
shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples  if  you 
have  love  one  for  another." 

Some  days  after  this  I  went  to  Matthew's  sta- 
tion and  stopped  with  Eld.  Jeremiah  Howard. 
Bro.  J.  H.  Oliphant,  a  very  able  and  influential 
minister  of  the  Baptist  Church,  came  to  visit  me 
and  stayed  to  dinner  with  us,  I  appreciated  the 
visit  very  much  on  account  of  the  past.  He  and 
I  once  had  a  lively  controversy  through  the  Gibson 
(Ga.)  Enterprise,  in  which  I  was  known  as  Cor- 
poral Cargile,  and  he  as  Major-General  Mack. 
The  Corporal  and  the  General  dined  together  at 
Bro.  Howard's  table. 

Much  remains  untold  of  incidents  in  my  life 
experiences,  but  the  space  intended  for  the  work 
is  consumed,  and  perhaps  more,  and  I  shall  have 
to  close  my  broken  story.  Before  a  final  farewell 
to  my  patient  readers,  let  me  retrospect  the  work, 
as  the  Lord  has  blessed  it.  I  look  back  to  1871, 
when  Bro.  J.  J.  Smith  and  I  began  to  proclaim  the 
second  coming  of  Christ,  and  relative  truths,  and 
we  were  alone  in  the  South.  Opposed  on  every 
hand,  and  often  by  those  whom  we  had  esteemed 
as  our  best  friends,  we  pressed  forward,  leaving  no 
bridges  behind  us  for  retreat.  I  have  debated 
forty-six  days  with  fourteen  different  men.     God 


472      AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   JOHN   A.    CARGILE. 

has  stood  by  us  in  a  wonderful  manner.  As  a 
result  of  his  blessing,  I  have  seen  thousands  con- 
verted, and  have  had  the  happy  privilege  of  bap- 
tizing over  eight  hundred  souls  in  the  likeness  of 
the  burial  and  resurrection  of  Christ.  I  have 
preached  these  precious  truths  in  about  thirty  of 
these  United  States,  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  and 
the  Indian  Territory.  I  have  had  many  invitations 
to  preach  in  other  States  and  in  England,  but  I  feel 
that  I  have  done  what  I  could. 

God  has  enabled  me  to  organize  over  sixty 
churches,  and  we  now  have  eight  Conferences  in 
the  Southern  States,  with  a  membership  of  about 
four  or  five  thousand,  and  perhaps  one  hundred 
men  who  are  preaching  these  solid  doctrines. 
This  is  an  evidence  that  God  has  raised  up  many 
stanch  helpers  for  me,  to  whom  much  credit  is 
due  for  the  success  of  the  work.  Through  all 
those  years  I  have  labored  without  salary,  and 
supported  a  growing  family,  until  I  found  my  home 
under  a  mortgage  of  one  thousand  dollars. 

Seeing  no  chance  to  pay  the  debt,  I  had  ac- 
cepted a  call  to  the  care  of  the  church  in  Boston, 
Mass.,  thinking  that  I  would  have  to  lose  my 
home  to  pay  the  mortgage.  Last  October  (1890), 
I  visited  the  Southern  Georgia  Conference,  where 
some  good  brethren  proposed  to  raise  the  money, 
and  save  my  home,  provided  I  would  labor  one 
year  as   an  evangelist   in  that  State.     I  at  once 


MISCELLANEOUS    ITEMS,   ETC.  473 

declined  the  call  from  Boston,  and  moved  to 
Atlanta.  The  money  panic  came  on  the  people, 
and  cotton  dropped  so  low  that  the  brethren  did  not 
raise  quite  one-tenth  of  the  amount,  which  left  me 
in  a  trying  position.  I  have  never  been  able  to 
give  through  the  papers  my  real  experiences  in 
financial  matters,  for  several  reasons.  First,  for 
the  sake  of  my  Master's  cause,  which  I  did  not 
wish  to  reproach  by  seeming  to  complain.  Second, 
my  ancestry  bequeathed  to  me  a  disposition  to 
hold  up  my  head  if  I  died  hard.  And  I  felt  that 
if  I  told  it  all  it  would  seem  that  I  was  courting 
sympathy.  Third,  I  feared  to  do  so,  lest  I  should 
be  considered  a  beggar.  And  even  what  I  have 
thus  said,  little  as  it  is,  has  awakened  a  spirit  of 
detraction.  The  report  has  been  circulated  in 
different  States  that  I  was  getting  piles  of  money. 
I  pray  for  those  who  have  a  disposition  and  a  will 
to  manufacture  or  peddle  out  such  reports,  and 
can  only  wish  they  may  never  be  forced  to  live  as 
I  have  in  order  to  spread  this  grand  and  glorious 
doctrine.  The  day  of  judgment  will  reveal  many 
privations  and  self-denials  that  the  world  knows 
not  of.  Even  now,  while  I  finish  this  chapter 
here  in  the  beautiful  and  fertile  State  of  Wisconsin, 
I  know  not  what  is  for  me  in  the  future.  The 
church  in  Boston  has  again  renewed  the  call  for 
me  to  settle  there  as  their  pastor,  and  they  offer 
me  a  handsome  salary  ;  and  were  I  to  consult  my 


474     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

comfort  and  earthly  ease  and  profit  I  should  go  at 
once.  Wife  and  I  have  been  struggling  over  it 
since  the  first  of  May,  and  now  she  writes  me  as 
follows  :  "  My  husband,  in  regard  to  your  work 
and  our  future  location,  it  seems  that  there  is 
something  in  the  way  that  we  can  not  decide.  It 
may  be  that  the  Lord  is  holding  us  back  for 
something  unknown  to  us.  Oh,  may  he  help  us 
to  go  right  —  not  wrong  !  It  seems  to  me  that  it 
could  not  be  right  for  us  to  go  to  Boston.  I  can 
not  get  the  consent  of  my  mind."  I  have  decided, 
in  harmony  with  her,  that  I  will  not  accept  the 
call  from  those  dear  brethren  and  sisters  of  the 
Boston  Church,  dearly  as  I  love  them,  and  shall  con- 
tinue in  this  field  perhaps  the  rest  of  my  life,  trust- 
ing to  the  Lord  to  open  the  way,  make  duty  plain, 
and  supply  our  needs.  The  Lord  has  blessed  us 
with  ten  children,  —  three  sons  and  seven  daugh- 
ters, —  all  of  whom  are  alive  and  well.  I  have 
baptized  six  of  them,  all  at  fourteen  years  of  age. 
My  oldest  son  has  been  preaching  since  his  eigh- 
teenth year.  Four  of  them,  two  sons  and  two 
daughters,  are  married  and  have  left  us.  I  feel 
that  the  Lord  can  keep  us  with  six  children  as 
easily  as  he  did  with  ten.  And  we  trust  him  still, 
and  believe  he  will. 

While  preaching  in  Volga,  Ind.,  last  week  a 
good  sister  and  mother  in  Israel  wrote  and  pre- 
sented me  two  Acrostics.     I  say  nothing  about  the 


MISCELLANEOUS    ITEMS,    ETC.  475 

first  one,  but  I  can  certify  that  Acrostic  No.  2  is 
not  overdrawn.     They  are  as  follows  :  — 

ACROSTIC    NO.  I. 

I. 
Just  now  my  pen  would  say  a  word 
Of  thy  great  mission  for  the  Lord ; 
How  pure  thy  faith,  how  strong  thy  trust, 
Not  heeding  gifts  of  golden  dust. 

II. 

A  higher  meed  is  thine  to  bring 
Before  the  world  a  coming  King, 
Not  shrniking  from  the  toil  and  care, 
Encircled  by  the  God  of  prayer, 
Rich  in  the  work  he  gives  thee  there. 

III. 

Continue  thus,  thou  man  of  God, 
A  crown  of  glory  thy  reward  ; 
Raise  high  thy  loving  voice  to  warn, 
Good  news  to  bring  with  the  alarm ; 
In  all  thine  earthly  journey  here 
Let  Jesus  lead  thee  far  and  near ; 
Eternal  joys  will  soon  appear. 

Mary  A.  Tibbetts. 


Volga,  Ind. 


ACROSTIC  NO  2. 
L 

No  earthly  splendors  crown  thy  way, 
As  oft  alone,  thy  spouse  away. 
Not  privileged  of  his  help  to  share. 
Coming  so  timely  in  thy  care, 
You  the  burden  still  must  bear. 


476     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JOHN   A.   CARGILE. 

II. 

Sweet  partner  of  your  husband  dear, 
United  in  God's  holy  fear. 
So  meekly  acting  well  your  part, 
A   preacher's  wife  with  loving  heart, 
Noble  Christian  that  thou  art; 

III. 
Calling  on  God  in  all  thy  life, 
Amid  the  turmoil  and  the  strife. 
Reach  forth  and  take  the  promise  sweet, 
Great  blessings  there  you'll  daily  meet ; 
In  peace  thy  life  glide  swiftly  by. 
Leaning  on  him  whose  watchful  eye 
Ever  renews  a  rich  supply. 

Mary  A.  Tibbetts. 
Volga,  Ind. 

Our  cause  has  had  many  sad  reproaches  and 
drawbacks,  —  some  caused  by  inveterate  enemies  ; 
but  the  greatest  evil  that  has  befallen  the  cause  in 
my  work  has  been  from  its  professed  friends.  I  be- 
lieve the  worst  enemies  that  Adventism  has  in  this 
world  are  some  Adventists.  Ministers  and  others 
have  done  despite  to  the  cause  in  different  ways. 
Some  have  sold  out  to  Orthodoxy  (so-called)  for 
bread  and  butter,  some  for  one  cause,  doubtless, 
and  others  for  something  else.  Very  few  of  those 
ministers  who  have  left  us  will  own  that  their 
views  have  changed  at  all,  only  their  coat  has 
changed.  But,  dear  brethren,  my  views  must 
change  before  my  coat.  Men  made  of  putty  need 
never  apply  to  the  Lord  for  a  commission  to  preach 
Adventism. 


MISCELLANEOUS    ITEMS,    ETC.  477 

Now,  dear  reader,  Imust  bid  you  an  affectionate 
farewell,  and  may  Heaven's  benediction  rest  upon 
you.  I  am  on  my  way  to  Texas,  and  thence  as  the 
Lord  may  lead  till  he  comes  or  till  I  fall.  If  the 
latter,  pray  that  it  may  be  with  the  armor  on. 
Then  some  dear  friend  can  finish  this  book.  If  I 
live  till  the  Lord  comes,  pray  that  he  may  find 
me  ready.     Adieu ! 

Janesville,  Wis.,  June  24,  1891. 


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